The Gallian-Germanian War: The Untold Story of Squad 422
by semperfi9988
Summary: "On March 15, 1935 The Imperial Germanian Reich invades Gallia. The resulting conflict will show the world that a tiny nation can take on a military giant. While the regular military and militia fight on the front lines, a squad of soldiers fight in the shadows. This is their story." Andrew W. Vandegrift
1. Prologue: Calm before the Storm

(Note: I do not own Valkyria Chronicles. They are owned by Sega. Along with the characters from Valkyria Chronicles. This story is purely for entertainment uses).

" _Before I begin, I just want it to be known that I am very blunt in what I am about to say. Having served in the Marines for years, I am more use to having a rifle in my hands rather than a pen but I believe that the story I am about to tell you must never be forgotten along with the men and women in this story must also not be forgotten. With this, I apologize now for the blunt way of me telling this story._

 _On March 15, 1935, the Imperial Germanian Third Reich declared war on the small country of Gallia. They blitzkrieged the country and many believed that they may have won the war from seeing the first months of the war. To many, this conflict is small compared to the First Europa War, but the outcome from this conflict showed that a tiny nation, and a handful of brave heroes can beat back an empire. The events of this war has a hidden story, hidden from the history you would find in a history book. A story of friendship and trust… of persecution and hate…. And of love blooming, even through the flames of war. What follows is a record of this conflict, the story of those who fought in the shadows. My name is Andrew Walker Vandegrift and this is their story."_

Paris. The capital city of the Atlantic Federation. Located in the main province of the Atlantic Federation, Paris stands as the Atlantic Federation's culture and beauty. The city is nicknamed "City of Lights" because it was the first city to have electricity.

Throughout the city, the residents go about their business. The day was warm and sunny so it was a perfect day for people to to go outside. Children playing about, couples spending time with each other, everyone throughout the city seems to be enjoy the day as best as they can.

Well, except for one.

Near Boulevard St. Germain sitting on the west bank of the Seine River, stands L'Hotel Paris. A hotel that is not far from the art galleries, antique shops, and cafes that are on Boulevard St. Germain. In one of the rooms of the hotel, a man of twenty-five years of age is sitting at a table. He is wearing a white sleeve shirt and shorts that are similar to what the British wear when their forces are garrisoned in Asia. On the table laid out is an American M1A1 Garand. The M1 Garand was the workhorse of the U.S military since the war against to Soviets. It fires a 30.06 round and can hold 8 rounds in a clip. The rifle currently is field stripped and from the cloth and oil on the table, the man was in the process of cleaning it. However, right now the man is currently on the phone and from the look on his face, the call is not going well.

"What happen to you being home next week?!" the voice on the other side said to the man. He grimaced a bit, knowing full well he was going to get it.

"I know, I know. Believe me I know. But since I am already here, there is someone I want to visit first in Gallia before I leave. Besides, I was also offered a contract by the Balkan Confederacy to help them with some border skirmishes they have been having with the Nazis. The money from that contract will finally be enough for us to get a place of our own and I can start focusing on becoming a teacher." The man replied, hoping that his response would calm her down. That didn't work.

"I don't want to live in a house if my husband is not home with me." There was a bit of bitterness in her voice. The man sighed. To be honest, he would prefer to be home and with her but due to certain problems he just can't come home just yet.

"Look, let me visit my friend over in Randgriz and after the visit, I will come home and spend a month at home. Then we can talk about the contract. I don't have to answer the contract just yet so we can talk it out. That sound good?" the man said as he continued to clean the Garand. There was a brief pause on the other end, causing the man to worry a bit before a reply came.

"You promise you will stay for a month?" The man smiled.

"Charlotte, I, Andrew Walker Vandegrift, promise to spend a month at home with my lovely wife after this trip." He can imagine her rolling her eyes over the other line.

"I keep asking myself why did I marry a man that is as sarcastic as I am?" Charlotte asked.

"Because you know I am the only one that can handle your craziness." Andrew responded which got a laugh out of her. Andrew looked at the clock in his room and saw that is was 3 PM already.

"Charlotte, I have to go. I have to catch the train at 5 PM to head to Roubaix near the border with Gallia or else I have to wait for the next day to go." Andrew said as he finished cleaning the Garand and began to slowly piece the rifle back together.

"Ok, well be careful. I love you Andrew."

"I love you too Charlotte. Bye." Andrew responded then hung up. He finished up putting the Garand back together and worked the charging handle to check the inside of the rifle. Seeing as nothing is out of place and after running a few rounds in it and saw that it cycled the rounds well. He put on his old marine corp jacket, his pack, slung his Garand and then walked over to his bed and then slung his secondary weapon, an M1903 Springfield with a scope on it for long range firing. He made sure he had everything on him and nothing will be left behind. Once he made sure that he had everything, he exited his room and headed to the reception table downstairs. After he checked out, he headed for the station and had to wait until 7 PM for his train to arrive because of a delay.

" _That night on the train, I had a feeling that something was going to happen but I was more into the thought about being home next week. What I didn't know at the time was the impact of what was going to happen. Nor would I ever predict that I would meet new people, see carnage on the scale of which I haven't seen since Alaska, feel betrayal, and fight with a group of misfits that I would eventually call my second family." Andrew Walker Vandegrift._

 **Author's note: Well, here it is. This story is based on the Valkyria Chronicles world that was created by Heinkelboy05. I have asked and received permission from him to write a story based on his world. Since this is my first time actually writing a fanfiction, this is a rough draft and will be editted over time. The next chapter will probably be posted sometime this weekend or next week but no promises. Thanks for taking the time to reading this and see you soon.**


	2. Chapter 1: The opening shots

**Note: I do not own Valkyria chronicles. They are owned by Sega. Also this story is inspired on the story by Heinkelboy05** **so if you haven't checked his story** **out yet, go check it out.**

Chapter 1: Opening shots

March 15. 1935

" _On March 15th, the Germania army began to invade Gallia. Their army attacked Fort Ghirlandaio in the North while the German's 101st Panzer Division attacked a border town called Bruhl. Meanwhile in the south, the 5th Fallschirmjäger Battalion were dropping into the town of Mons. Unfortunately that was where I was at the time as well. The battle of Mons would be the first battle I would fight in this new war and it won't be my last." -Andrew W. Vandegrift_

The small group of Junker Ju-52 cargo planes were flying above Gallia, their engines humming steadily as the pilots tried to maintain their , Oberstabsgefreiter (Corporal) Karl Schneider would be among them. He sat in one of the transports packed with riflemen of the elite 5th Fallschirmjäger Battalion. Despite his anxiousness, he tried his best to sit still, keeping his gear in place. He had what many would consider way more than the human body should carry, but the training had made him tough.

As the plane made its way towards it's destination, he reflected on his job and the mission while he waited like everyone else to jump. Their target was a crossroads in the village of Mons, which the 2nd Panzergrenadiers will use to spearhead the invasion of the southern portion of Gallia. It was a simple matter of clearing and holding the town, along with setting up positions from which to throw back any counterattack that the Gallians might throw if they even have the numbers for a counterattack They are expected to face just the local militia and the Mons town guard. The intelligence officer stated that they aren't expecting any regular army response so to the Karl and the paratroopers, this was going to be a cakewalk.

"Hey Karl, do you think these Gallians will actually fight? I mean they can't be as bad as the Russians, or the soldiers from the Confederacy and Federation." Hauptgefreiter (Specialist) Lukas Farber asked next from next to him. Lukas was the squad's MG34 gunner, and the man whom Karl carried ammo for.

"I cannot be sure, Lukas; this is their country. They won't just give it up without a fight." He replied over the engine noise.

"But they can't be as experienced as us. They will be easy to handle and will probably surrender the moment they see us." His friend insisted.

Karl nodded slowly after a minute. Before he could reply back, he felt the plane jolt a little. At first he thought it was the Gallians firing anti aircraft weapons at them, but it was told to everyone in the plane that it was nothing more than turbulence. Things again settled down, and Karl impatiently waited for something to happen. There were no signs of anything resembling enemy resistance, even though Kaiser Byzantium zi Britannia declared war on the country five days ago. That should have given the Gallians enough time to set up some defenses but there was nothing.

As they approached closer, a red light came on, though Karl only knew it was red due to his paratrooper training.

"Five minutes to drop, stand up!" One of the Ju-52's crew, known as the "Jump Master", shouted as he reached the door near the end of the plane. Karl threw his body weight forward and brought himself to his feet. He along with the rest of the paratroopers stood up and then hooked up on to the static line that would open their parachute when they jump.

The Jump Master opened the rear door and made sure the line was still okay.

"Sound off for your equipment check! Left side!" The Jump Master shouted.

Karl gulped down and heard the shouts come up the line from behind him, starting at seventeen. He waited, each shout spiking his adrenaline. He felt Lukas slap a hand down onto his right shoulder and declare "Three okay". He did the same to the paratrooper in front of him.

"Two, okay!" He Jump Master seemed to smile as the head of the line confirmed he was okay.

Karl found himself quietly praying and sending his love to those awaiting his return. He secretly desired to return home instead of accepting that idea he could die for his country. In a way, he hypothesized, everyone wanted that. He was far from the only one thinking that. A green light then suddenly appeared at the door.

"Green light! Go, go, go!" The Corporal's head jolted up as the line began to move forward. He moved his legs a little and waited until the paratrooper in front of him started moving. He pushed himself forward as fast as his squad mate.

"Heil Kaiser Byzantium!" They chanted as they shuffled briskly.

The young rifleman approached the door, gripped the sides of the door and with the Jump Master screaming in his ear, he jumped. He fell for about five seconds before his parachute opened and he began to descend into Gallia, not knowing whether he will make it back home alive or not.

* * *

On a quiet dirt road leading to the town of mons, Andrew is walking towards the town of Mons. Knowing that the town is close gives Andrew a comforting thought. He had only just got into the country today and so far things have not been going well for him. After getting off the train at Roubaix, he tried to find a hotel to stay in but all the hotels seem to be full. So, he had no choice but to sleep outside which to him wasn't a problem. The problem came when he tried to find some transportation to head in Gallia. Apparently, no one was willing to take him to Randgriz so now he was stuck walking to the capital. So, he began his journey to the capital by foot. About five hours into his little trek, he began to feel tired due to the fact he was carrying about eighty pounds of gear on his back.

His pack was his old Marine Corp field transport pack. It consisted of the haversack, knapsack and belt suspenders attached to the cartridge belt. There was a long blanket roll that was strapped to the pack in a horseshoe-shape. Mainly this is considered the most heavy of the various transport packs Andrew have lugged but it did carry all his stuff in a nice, organized fashion and for him, speed isn't the main issue at the moment.

As Andrew got close to the town, he couldn't help but observe the countryside. On the left, there were green hills with the occasional house or windmill. To his right, there was a small forest that leads into the Ardennes. Andrew took a few more steps before finally stopping.

"I think it's time to take a small break." Andrew told himself as he made his way to the nearest tree and dropped his pack. He then fell down onto the ground and closed his eyes and tried to relax. As he was about to drift into sleep, Andrew began to hear a faint buzzing sound. At first, Andrew thought it was just some bug or something near by. However, the buzzing got louder and then he heard explosions.

Andrew sprung up and looked around. In the distance towards the town of Mons, there was pillars of black smoke rising. Then Andrew looked up and saw the source of the buzzing sound.

"Jesus…" Andrew muttered as he saw hundreds of transport planes in the sky. He can also see small fighters acting as escort. And then he saw rows of paratroopers jumping out of the transport planes. Their parachutes looking like white mushrooms as they descended to the ground.

"Jesus, that bastard was actually serious!" Andrew exclaimed as he got up and then began to pull out his M1 Garand and Springfield. Like everyone else in Europe and around the world, Andrew heard that speech that Kaiser Byzantium made about declaring war on Gallia. However, after a few days of nothing, Andrew thought it was just all talk. In his thinking, once you made that kind of speech then you should launch your invasion right after so that you can capitalize on surprising your enemy. So when no invasion come after a few days, Andrew had called it a bluff. Now he was seeing how wrong he was.

Andrew inserted a bandolier into his Garand and then checked his Springfield to make sure the five bullets he had inserted in before were still there. After making sure his weapons were loaded, he made a mad dash to Mons. If paratroopers were dropping, then most likely the local town watch or militia would already be engaging the German paratroopers. He forgot about his pack and ran down the road to Mons, towards the growing gunfire and explosions from the city.

* * *

Oberstabsgefreiter Karl Schneider ran through the streets of Mons. Right behind him was Lukas and another paratrooper named Peter Scholtz. Right now they were advancing up the street with the rest of his platoon to the town square. So far, after landing and regrouping, his platoon advanced and faced only minimum resistance from the local town watch. The town watch, comprised of locals who volunteered to help protect their homes, were only armed with Gallian-4 rifles. They were no match for the fallschirmjagers, many of them armed with FG-42 assault rifles and their MG34 light machine guns. Karl was approaching the corner of the street and slowly slowed down his pace as he approached the corner. He leaned against the wall with Lukas beside him. Karl peeked over the edge and was meet with a shot from a rifle. The bullet chipped the wall in front of him and he pulled away before the round hit him.

"I guess the Gallians aren't going to surrender to us like you predicted huh Lukas?" Karl asked his friend. Lukas chuckled.

"Well, we are here to help them surrender then." Lukas replied as he pulled the charging handle of the MG34 back and forward to chamber a round. Karl turned and saw his Unteroffizier holding his hand up. Then he motioned them to move forward. Karl popped out of the corner and fired his Kar98K, worked the bolt, and fired again. Meanwhile Lukas and Peter ran across the street. Bullets flying past them as the Gallians tried to stem the tide. Lukas made it to a bench and set up the MG34 up. He pulled the bolt and began firing at the Gallians. Those who were not smart enough were cut down. Karl then rushed to Lukas while Lukas and Peter covered him. He reached them then took aim at the Gallians. He fired a shot then felt something warm hit him. He wiped his face and his hand came back red. He turned to his left and saw Lukas on the ground with a round between his eyes. He then looked and saw that Peter also had a bullet between the eyes. He was so shocked that he didn't move for a bit. A mistake for him as he turned to face the Gallians when he saw a soldier aim at him. He wasn't wearing the standard Gallian uniform, it was a greenish uniform and the man was wearing a cap. He had his rifle aimed at Karl, and Karl saw a flash before darkness ensued.

* * *

"And that is one more Nazi to hell." Andrew commented as he just took out another Nazi. Upon entering the town, he can already see the damage that the German air force, the Luftwaffe, have done. Their bombers had bombed the town hard. There was rubble everywhere, along with bodies of people who were trying to get out of town. When Andrew saw the bodies, he had to keep his emotions in and made his way to the sounds of gunfire.

As he made his way to that area, he passed by civilians that were trying to get out of town. Where they would go, Andrew had no idea but right now he had to help the militia or town watch or anyone so that as many civilians can get out. He reached the source of the shooting and it was the most one-sided fight he has ever seen. The town guard and what appeared to be about ten militiamen were trying to hold off what appeared to be at least a company of German paratroopers. The paratroopers had a machine gun nest near a bench covering their advance towards the Gallian's position. Judging from the bodies of town watch and militiamen, the Germans were getting closer.

Andrew then ran to the nearest cover he could find which was an overturned truck. He took aim at the MG nest and sighted his rifle at the gunner. He steadied his breathing and then breathed out. He squeezed the trigger and his round hit the gunner in the head. He then aimed his rifle at the other guy on the gunner's left and pulled the trigger, hitting the guy in the head as well. He then got up and moved up to a pile of sandbags and then aimed at the other paratrooper who had just noticed his pals have been shot. The paratrooper then looked up and saw Andrew and Andrew saw the look of shock as he squeezed the trigger and the paratrooper joined his brothers on the trip to hell.

Andrew then made his way to the surviving members of the Gallian forces with bullets flying by him. He landed next to a militia man as he was reloading his rifle. The man looked at Andrew and had a puzzled look.

"Who the hell are you?" the man asked as Andrew fired two more shots at the advancing Germans.

"I'll say my name after we get through this alive. Who is in charge here?" Andrew man seemed to hesitate for a minute for replying.

"I don't know. Our lieutenant was killed in the opening shots and we have been losing position after position. I think this is one of the last positions in town." Andrew took in this information as fired the rest of the rounds in his rifle. As he was reloading he asked the militia man.

"Well, guess I will have to take charge since it seems no one knows what they are doing." Andrew said as he reloaded a new bandolier into the M1.

"Are all the civilians been evacuated yet?" Andrew asked the man.

"Yeah, they have been evacuating for days now. I think it was reported that the last civilian left about twenty minutes ago."

"Then that case, we have to leave." Upon hearing that, the militia man protested.

"But this is our home! We can't just leave it." Andrew heard that and then motioned his hand around him.

"If you haven't noticed, we got German paratroopers all around us. We don't leave, we are going to die." The militia man seemed unconvinced but then another town watch member was hit by three bullets to the chest and fell. The militia man sighed and then turned to his comrades.

'EVERYONE WE ARE GETTING OUT OF HERE!" the militia man yelled. The remaining town watch and militia man began to fall back while some covered them. Andrew also stayed behind for a bit, killing more Germans and helping the town watch and militia delay the enemy until a truck appeared and Andrew accompanied them into the truck and left. The moment the truck left the town, marked the end for the battle of Mons.

" _That fight was only one hour. An hour. To the Germans, it was a small skirmish. However, to the Gallians it would mark the first battle of many for their country. As for me, it was just a reminder that I will be staying in Europa. However, there was one thing that was true. I didn't know it at the time along with the surviving town watch and militia that Gallia will win. That the Germans will be defeated and peace will be brought back to Gallia. Until then, though, we made our way to the nearest Gallian military base and to whatever the future will hold for us and for the nation of Gallia" -Andrew W. Vandegrift_

 **Author's note: Well, this took me all night to dish out. I was actually surprised some people actually read this. Haha anyway, hope whoever actually reads this enjoys and if you want to offer advise or have questions you can PM. Can leave some reviews on what you guys think. This is my first time writing fanfiction so some constructive reviews will be appreciated. I don't have an exact date on the next chapter but it will be sometime this month. Until next time**


	3. Chapter 2: Meeting the Lanseal Graduate

Note: I do not own Valkyria Chronicles, they are owned by Sega.

Chapter 2: Innovation and the Lanseal Graduate

" _On March 15, 1935 the Imperial Germanian Reich had invaded the eastern border of the Principality of Gallia. Led by their commander, Prince Maximilian, the invading forces were split into three army groups. Their northern army group overran the Fortress Ghirlandaio in only one day. They then pushed forwards to the Naggiar Plains, wiping out the Gallian Army forces in the north then began to push southward all the way to the Rhine River. Army Group Center pushed from the Barious Desert and pushed into Gallian territory, to the point where they were only ten miles from the capital city of Randgriz. Finally their Army Group South, pushed through from their staging point in the Ardennes forest. With the deployment of Fallschirmjager battalions to capture key towns and cities, they wiped out the few Gallian forces in the South and advancing through the forest. They then established a defensive perimeter around the forest, turning it into a fortress before pushing into southern Gallia. At Sea, the German Kriegsmarine enforced a blockade around Gallia, Along with German marines and special commando Fallschirmjager troops, took most of the major coastal cities. By the beginning of April, the Nazi war machine were within knocking distance of the capital of Randgriz. After getting out of Mons, I continued to help the militia and Gallian Army fight in battles, all of them in vain as either the units I tagged along were either wiped out or were mauled by the Wehrmacht or by Stukas of the Luftwaffe. Eventually by the end of March, I found myself in Randgriz and you could tell that the Luftwaffe had paid a visit. There weren't many buildings that were not affected by the the bombings. However, Castle Randgriz wasn't touched. Why? I had no clue. All that mattered to me at the time was to to visit a friend to make sure she was alright and to find a unit to tag along with to the front." -Andrew W. Vandegrift._

Fort Amaranthine. The main headquarters of the entire Gallian military. Sitting on the west bank of the Randgriz River along with the capital, the fort was the hub of all Gallian military. The fort had barracks for the militia and regular army, hangars for tanks and other vehicles, a training ground to train new recruits, a large and elaborate building that housed many of the officer corp of the Gallian military, and finally and R&D development center.

The Research and Development Center was the major hub where scientists and mechanics work on developing new technologies to help the Gallian military fight against the enemy. With the Imperial Germanian Reich, their technology are known to be ahead of many nations in regards to everything from weapons, to tanks, and to planes. As a result to this, the German forces had a clear edge over the Gallians on the battlefield. So, since the war started, the R&D Department worked day and night just to develop new weapons and vehicles to turn the tide against the Nazi war machine. It was also here that Andrew met up with an old friend.

In a corner of the center, there was an area for the Gallian National Arsenal to develop new infantry weapons for the Gallian military. It was here that Andrew was, currently working on his new weapon. During the fighting retreat ever since the Fall of Mons, he has been in almost constant fighting. Because of that, his rifle had taken a beating. The most recent engagement had the firing pin in his rifle breaking and him having to use the Gallian M4 rifle that he found off of a dead militiaman. So, the moment he reached the fort, he went about in doing maintenance and upgrading his rifle. As he was doing this, he didn't hear footsteps approaching him. Then he felt a something hit him on the head, hard. Rubbing his head, he looked behind and came face to face with a woman. She was wearing a lab coat with black pants. She is wearing a black shirt that doesn't cover her stomach. She has green eyes and short black hair and judging from her expression, she isn't happy.

"Next time, tell me when you are going to borrow parts for your little project. I just got scowled today by my boss." the woman told Andrew as he was still trying to recover from the hit to his head.

"Sorry Jessica. I need to get this gun working so I can get back out there and into the fight." Andrew replied with a smile. Jessica just shook her head and smiled as well. Jessica Lynch and Andrew have been friends since he first came to Europe last year. They met when he came to Randgriz as a stop and helped her with submitting a design for an improvement on the Gallian M4 rifle that made it a bit more accurate. Ever since then, they have been talking through letters just to check up and for Andrew to offer his advice every now and then. Today, Jessica noticed that Andrew was working on his M1 rifle and saw that he made some big changes.

"Did you just add a magazine adapter at the bottom of the rifle?" Jessica asked.

"You have a hell of an eye. Yeah, I spent all night cutting the wood and reworking the assembly so that it can take a magazine that I created. Here take a look." Andrew said as he handed Jessica the magazine he made. Jessica observed it and was amazed. The magazine was a box-shape similar to what the Gallian M4 rifle used but bigger and a longer to accommodate more rounds.

'How many rounds are you able to hold in the magazine?" Jessica asked as she continued to observe the magazine.

"I was able to insert twenty rounds into the magazine."

"Twenty?!" Andrew nodded. The one thing Andrew hated about the M1, even though it is a great rifle, it just had too few rounds. Eight rounds isn't enough for a sustained fight so he made the magazine so that it can fit twenty rounds.

"I know what you are thinking. You can use the idea for those new rifles you guys are trying to make for the scouts." Andrew said, knowing that Jessica was going to ask for permission to examine the magazine to see if they can incorporate it into the experimental rifles that they were making.

"Also, I could help but notice you were in charge of developing machine guns for the shocktroopers. Seriously, why do you guys have different classes of infantry? Why can't you just randomly give troops machine guns, submachine guns, sniper rifles, or lances? That would make things easier in my opinion." Andrew told Jessica. He really never understood the infantry break down of the Gallian military. Back in the Marine Corp, the marines were trained to shoot every weapon in the U.S arsenal. That way, if some went down, then someone can take that weapon and still continue the fight. While in Gallia, the infantry was broken-up into five classes: scout, shocktrooper, lancer, sniper, and engineer.

Scouts were the go to for reconnaissance. They were armed with medium-ranged semi-automatic rifles, hand grenades, small Ragnaid canisters, and an under-barrel mounted grenade launcher. They could spot enemy in tall grass from twenty meters. However, their long-range capabilities means they have to travel light and thus aren't as protected. They can't take on tanks but they make up for it by taking out enemy infantry from long distances and rain grenades with the under-barrel grenade launcher.

Shocktroopers are the core of the Gallian infantry. Armed with submachine guns or light-machine guns, grenades, small ragnaid canisters, and an under-barrel flamethrower, they are the most deadly against infantry. They are deadly if you get them in Close-Quarter combat or in trenches and even though they can't see as far as scouts, they make up for it in protection.

Lancers are the go to for mobile anti-tank support for the Gallian infantry. Armed with anti-tank lances that can be armed with a variety of warheads, small ragnaid and a small shield, they are protected from small arms and even mortar rounds and grenades. They are mainly used to knock out tanks and armored vehicles.

Snipers were your long-range sharpshooters. Armed with long-range bolt-action sniper rifles, grenades, and small ragnaid, they are tasked with eliminating enemy officers and provide support for friendly units.

Finally, there were the engineers. Armed with semi-automatic rifles or carbines, large ragnaid, grenades, and tools, they are in charge of clearing the way for the infantry and armor. They clear fortifications as well as create them. They have a backpack with them containing additional ammo to resupply friendly troops in the field and they can also clear mines.

All in all, minus the engineer class and the sniper class, Andrew believed that one infantryman can still do all the other tasks well if they were trained to know how to fire the weapon system.

"Well, unlike the American military, we can't be so free in giving people positions. We never even asked to be invaded in the first place." Jessica replied.

"Yeah, can't argue with you there. And I can't really complain myself. The U.S military is also trying out those classes last I heard from my brother so I can't argue about that." Andrew said as he put the finishing touches on his rifle and turned around to show Jessica, "And there it is done."

Jessica looked at the rifle and she was impressed. Andrew had only arrived to the fort two days ago and we was able to completely upgrade his rifle. The Garand still had its receiver, but instead there was now a magazine adapter at the bottom to hold the new magazine that Andrew made. Also at the end of the barrel, there was a muzzle break now. That would help reduce the recoil of the garand and even increase its accuracy too.

"Hmm, so you increased the magazine capacity and made the rifle more accurate. Not bad, though you still have to see how this rifle works in combat." Jessica noted as she handed the rifle back to Andrew.

'Yeah, well that is why I need to find a unit to head to the front." Andrew said as he inserted a magazine and pulled the bolt to chamber a round into the rifle.

"Well, I might be able to help you with that but I need a favor."Jessica said. This got Andrew's attention but he knew what she might be asking.

"You need me to look at some experimental weapons don't you?" Andrew asked. Judging by the puppy dogs eyes Jessica was giving him, Andrew just sighed.

"Ok, where are they?"

" _In the end, I spent most of that day helping her with two new weapons that the Gallians are considering. One of them was called the MAGS-A. Essentially a beefed up Mags M4 submachine gun with a water-cooler jacket over the barrel so that it can fire more rounds without overheating. She was having problems with the "submachine gun" cycling rounds and the constant jams. I helped her retool the action so that it can have a smoother action and fixed the chambering and shell ejection problem that plagued the M4 submachine gun disappear, or so I hope. The next was an experimental machine gun that was named MAJ-X. It was designed to fire a speciality round but I told her to give up on it. That round was proposed is intended to shred the flesh off the target but the problem was that it caused strain on the frame of the machine gun. So I told her to give up on the prototype ammunition and just have it chamber the 7.63 Mauser round and use the magazines from the few STG-44 that the Gallians caught from the Germans. In return to helping her with all of this, she hooked me up with a ride to a town called Vasel. Here I was going to meet a man that I would come to respect and love like a brother._

* * *

The town of Vasel. Sitting on the eastern side of the Rhine River, Vasel was once a town that was prosperous as a trading town before the war. Now, it is considered one of the most important towns in Gallia. In Vasel, there was the Great Vasel Bridge that connected Vasel to the west bank of the river. With it, it would only be ten miles to the capital of Randgriz. Recently, the Gallian army was holding the town until they were pushed back by the German 5th Panzergrenadier Division. Now, the Gallian has regrouped and was planning for a counter-attack.

In the outskirts of Vasel, a small contingent of the Gallian 18th Infantry Division was gathering for a counter-attack against the Panzergrenadier division, which has now been reinforced by the 14th Panzer Division. One division against one tank division supported by an infantry division is considered suicide but for the Gallians, there wasn't much of a choice. If they didn't take the town back, then the Germans would be able to push through Vasel and rush to Randgriz, ending the war and not in Gallia's favor.

At the staging area, Andrew got off of the jeep that he rode along with to see if he can help in any way. In the past weeks, he has tried to enlist in the Gallian military, even the militia but apparently, the Gallians wouldn't let him enlist in either. Andrew didn't know why and was kind of mad but then again he did understand why he wasn't liked. Being an American, many Gallians don't like Americans since America stayed out of the First World War. To Andrew, though, America shouldn't be involved with wars that they shouldn't be involved in but that was his opinion. He looked around and saw a group surrounding an officer, probably addressing them about their upcoming mission. Andrew made his way to the group. As he reached the group, he picked up on the briefing the Gallian officer was giving.

"We will now prepare for our attack against the 14th Panzer Division's vanguard. Lieutenant Kurt Irving, front and center!" A Gallian officer appeared beside the captain. He was wearing the standard Gallian officer uniform with the three unicorn heads surrounded by golden lines over his right chest.

"Sir!" Kurt responded with a salute."

"I am turning command of this battle over to you as Lanseal's Military Academy's top graduate." the captain said, "Let's see the true strength of the school's highest scorer in history!" This caused a wave of murmur amongst the regular troops and it caught Andrew's attention. Lanseal Military Academy was the most prestigious academy in Gallia to train officer cadets to become the next generation. The curriculum was tough, matching that of West Point, Sanhurst, or even the Naval Academy, and being the top graduate was not an easy task, so this officer Andrew was looking at must be good.

"Can he really do this? I mean, they say he is the best but he has only been in two battles." One of the regulars said.

"I've heard his first battle was a miraculous victory but still…" Another soldier commented.

"Maybe the captain is planning to blame him for everything. I mean, we are all new recruits." Another soldier commented.

"Enough! Now, second lieutenant please introduce yourself." The captain told Kurt.

"Yes, sir!" Kurt replied before addressing the group, "I am Second Lieutenant Kurt Irving. I'll be commanding this operation. I will say this right now, victory is assured for our troops." The moment that left Kurt's lips, that caused confusion amongst the troops.

"What are you saying?!" One of the soldiers asked.

"We will defeat the enemy vanguard without suffering any losses, and then maintain control over the region." Again confusion spread amongst the ranks.

"What are you talking about?!"

"Not suffering any losses? Easier said and done!" The captain hearing the uproar asked Kurt.

"Second Lieutenant Irving, please explain your plan." Kurt then pulled a map out of his pocket, unfolded it and placed it on a nearby crate. Everyone gathered around to see what Kurt was planning. Andrew was more than curious about this plan that will result with no casualties.

"Our forces will split into two groups. Five men will engage the enemy directly while the rest will circle to the enemy rear and attack the enemy from behind." Once again, the regulars were shocked with what Kurt proposed.

"Only five men? What can five men do?" One of the soldiers asked.

"They will cause a distraction, grabbing the enemy's attention. While that is happening, the main force will immediately ambush the enemy rear. This will guarantee our victory." Kurt explained. All the regulars looked at each other nervously, not really knowing if the plan would work or just bring them an early death. However, one person from that group is thinking something else.

"He has a point. If the five men keeps the enemy distracted at the front, the enemy would mostly be focused with the diversion force. That way, their rear will be exposed to attack." Andrew commented as he looked at the map and trying to image the battle in his head. If everything went well, then this would eliminate the vanguard force, allowing Gallian forces to attempt to retake Vasel. If it didn't work…

"I agree. An impressive strateg. You have my permission. Good luck!" The Gallian captain said as he saluted Kurt and the surrounding men. They saluted back and then everyone left to get ready. As Andrew continues to look at the map, since his gear is with him, he receives a tap on the shoulder. He turns around and comes face to face with Kurt.

"You don't seem to be Gallian judging from your uniform. Who are you?" Kurt asked.

"Names Andrew Walker Vandegrift. I'm a mercenary but when I was on my way to visit a friend, I got sucked into the war so here I am." Andrew replied. Kurt thought about it for a bit and then asked another question.

"So you are the only other one here that has combat experience then?"

"Yup. Fought in the Soviet-American War back in 32, and fought in various skirmishes across Europe."Andrew replied. Kurt was amazed. This man can't no more than twenty-five and he had probably more experience than all the officers in the Gallian army.

"I see. Then you don't mind if I ask you to tag along with me and the five man team for the diversion attack. I believe your experience can really benefit us." Kurt said. This caught Andrew off-guard for a bit. All the Gallian officers he has met before just shrugged him off due to him being a foreigner. Now here was a Lanseal top graduate, asking him to tag along the diversion force, an important part of this operation, and Andrew just smiled at this.

"Sir, it would be an honor." Andrew said as he extended his hand. Kurt smiled and shook Andrew's hand.

" _At that time, I had no idea that I was going to later serve with this man in another unit. That I would fight with him in many battles in this goddamn war. That after this war, I would consider him as one of my close friends that I would always remember. At that time, I just was looking forward to kicking some Nazi ass and make a difference in this war."_

 **Author's Note: We finally meet Kurt. This chapter doesn't have a lot of action but I promise the next chapter will have plenty of action. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter and if you have any questions about the story in general or just curious about something, you guys can PM me. See you all later**


	4. Chapter 3: Skirmish at Vasel

**Note: Well, it has been awhile since I uploaded a new chapter. Been busy with school and looking for some internships to apply to. This chapter is shorter than my other chapters so I apologize for that. Also, I got my first review! To Chodoripeime: Thanks for the review and yeah there haven't been many stories about the Nameless so I decided to write one about them. I also want to say thank you to Heinkelboy05 for allowing me to use the setting of his story to write a story about the Nameless. Anyway enjoy the story and as always I do not own Valkyria Chronicles. They are owned by Sega.**

Chapter 3: Skirmish at Vasel

Everything was quiet over at the German outpost at the outskirts of Vasel. Many of the men on guard were just dazing off, not really worried about a Gallian attack anytime soon. Having been fighting for a little close to a month, the German troops have regarded the Gallian military as inferior to them. That they were just peasants and that they weren't to be taken seriously. However, because of this thinking, they didn't notice a small group of Gallians crawling their way to their position. One German in particular was casually smoking a cigarette while another one was taking a swig from his canteen.

" _Hans, sie haben ein anderes."_ The German soldier who drank the canteen asked the other one. The other soldier pulled out a pack of cigarettes and handed it to his buddy. The other soldier took a cigarette and was about to hand the pack back when he felt something splatter on him and it felt warm. He wiped his face and his hand came up bloody. He looked and saw the other soldier on the ground, dead from a bullet to the neck. The soldier turned around and saw a group of Gallians charging him.

" _Alarm! Alarm! Gallian Soldaten!"_ The German soldier screamed as he unslung his rifle and brought it up to bear against the Gallians. He managed to fire one shot but missed completely. Andrew, spotting the German, stopped and took a knee. He fired three shots, hitting the German in the chest three times. The soldier crumpled to the ground as the Gallians overran the first position. Andrew reached a pile of sandbags, crouched and began firing at the Germans. So far, the Gallians have achieved surprise, killing six Germans that were manning the position, however that began to change when reinforcements began to come.

Kurt was firing his Mags M4 at the Germans, killing two of them, when he felt a body land next to him. He turned around to his right and saw Andrew kneeling beside him.

"Well, I guess we got their attention now." Andrew commented as he took aim and shot four times.

"Our objective is to distract their frontline units until the rest of our main force can attack from their rear." Kurt said as he reloaded his sub-machine gun. A few meters to the left, a Gallian soldier was taking aim with his Randgrizer-M5 grenade launcher. The launcher was located at the bottom of his rifle and it used the same grenade that the infantry used. The launcher's trigger was attached to the rifle's trigger so the soldier can fire the grenade without firing a shot. The soldier's target was a pair of Germans who was using a pile of sandbags as a position to set up their MG42 machine gun, which was being used to pin down two Gallian soldiers who were prone in a grass field. The soldier raised his rifle into the air at a steep acute angle. He slowed his breathing so that his heartbeat will slow enough for him to get a good aim. Then he pulled the trigger, the grenade sailing through the air until it landed on top of the German machine gun nest. Less than two seconds later, it exploded in a bright blue glow, killing the machine crew instantly while wounding any German soldier near the machine gun nest.

With the brief confusion caused by the grenade's explosion, the Gallians pressed their attack, advancing ten yards before the five men including Andrew took cover behind a wall as another machine gun nest was firing on them.

"I hope the main force are able to attack the enemy's rear." Andrew said as he took pot shots at the Germans.

"They will, we just need to keep the Germans occupied a little bit longer." Kurt replied, firing back at the Germans.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the farmhouse near the action, the Germans had temporary sent up a company headquarters. Inside, German soldiers were around and about, doing their tasks and some just lying about, when they heard an explosion followed by gunfire. The soldiers then got up and began to collect their gear for battle. A Unteroffizier(Corporal) ran into the farmhouse, blood running from his arm from a gunshot wound he received.

"Unteroffizier Claus, report what is happening out there?" A Oberleutnant asked him as he motioned for a medic to treat the man.

"Oberleutnant, the Gallians are attacking our line. We have been pushed back ten yards sir."

"How was it possible that the Gallians pushed you back?" the Oberleutnant asked. He was confused to see that the Gallians were actually pushing the Wehrmacht back.

'Sir, they are being lead by a competent officer. He had his men approach our lines from the tall grass and ambushed our lines. We are holding them off for now but I don't know how long we can hold."

'How many men attacked you?" The Unteroffizier seemed hesitant to say. After a minute of silence, the Oberleutnant asked again, "How many men attacked you?"

"Six, sir." The moment the words left the soldier's lips, the Oberleutnant was filled with rage.

"SIX MEN! YOU GOT PUSHED BACK BY SIX MEN!" The Oberleutnant screamed. The Unteroffizier cowered under the Oberleutnant's rage. Then another soldier came running in.

"Sir, there are Gallians attacking us in the rear." The soldier told the Oberleutnant. The officer was now in a dilemma. He was being attacked by the Gallians in the front as well as in the rear. He has to deploy his forces correctly or else his force would be destroyed.

"The force attacking the rear is a decoy. They are trying to grab our attention away from the front. Send 1st and 2nd platoon to the front and engage the Gallians." The Oberleutnant ordered.

"But sir, it's only six men attacking the front. The rear force must be-" The oberleutnant cut the soldier off .

"The Gallians are attacking from the front. Those six men are probably a scouting party. If we send our forces to the rear to deal with the Gallians that are clearly just a decoy, then they would break through our lines and advance onto Vasel. Move 1st and 2nd platoon to the front. Is that clear?"

"Sir!" The soldier saluted and went off to send the orders. What the Oberleutnant didn't know that he was very wrong. The rear force was actually the main Gallian force while the force attacking at the front was actually the decoy. The Oberleutnant sent half of his company to deal with the decoy force, nont knowing that he just made a mistake that would cost him.

* * *

"Enemy reinforcements!" One of the Gallian soldiers yelled. Andrew was in the process of inserting another clip into his M1. He looked up and saw about 2 platoons rushing up to their faltering front line.

"Well, I can't believe it. They actually believe that we are part of the main force." Andrew commented.

"The Germans never expects a main force to attack from the rear. Plus we kind of made it convincing that we were the main force since we advanced pretty far." Kurt replied. Andrew along with the other Gallians soldiers have advanced twenty yards, killing many German soldiers and have not suffered a single casuality.

"Wel, seems like your plan worked. Now, we have to deal with these reinforcements and I have an idea." Andrew said.

'What do you have in mind?" Kurt asked as he fired his Mags M4 submachine gun at a German soldier trying to sneak close enough to throw a grenade. The man fell with about ten bullets hitting him.

"I need you and one of your shocktroopers to lay down suppressing fire while I make for the MG-34 that the Krauts left behind." Andrew said as he pointed to said machine gun still on it's tripod. Kurt saw it but also noticed some German troops near the gun, trying to make their way to the machine gun as well.

"You think you can make it to the gun before they do?" Kurt said as he pointed at the Germans.

"Well, we will have to find out won't we?" Andre replied with a small smile. Kurt thought about it for a minute before nodding his head.

"Joseph, lay down suppressing fire for the American on my signal!" Kurt yelled. Joesph, who was a few meters from Kurt and Andrew, taking cover behind some sandbags nodded his head. Kurt looked at Andrew, "Ready when you are."

Andrew nodded back before taking a deep breath.

"Let's go." Andrew said before leaping over the sandbags he was using as cover and made a mad dash for the machine gun. Behind him, he heard Kurt yell for suppressing fire and Kurt along with Joseph let loose on the Germans.

The Germans, receiving heavy fire stayed where they were, not wanting to take the chance of getting killed. Thanks to this, Andrew was able to make it to the machine gun, but then he ran into another hiccup.

When the Germans abandoned the MG-34, they probably expected the Gallians the try and capture it and use it. As a result, the one of the German soldiers had volunteered to stay behind and set a trap for the Gallians. The German laid flat on the ground behind the machine gun, flat enough so that the Gallians couldn't see and waited for an unexpecting Gallian to appear.

So when Andrew arrived at the machine gun and saw a German soldier lying there with his Kar98K aimed at him, Andrew was surprised but quickly recovered. He side-stepped and avoided the bullet that the German fired. Andrew then aimed his M1 at the German, but as he pulled the trigger, he heard a click indicating that the rifle was jammed. Annoyed Andrew tried to clear the jam but the he saw that the German had worked the bolt and chambered a new round.

Knowing that he would die if he didn't do something, Andrew threw his rifle at the German, preventing the man from firing his weapon, and then lunged at the German. The two than began a fist fight as Andrew threw a punch at the German, hitting him the jaw. The German retaliated by punching Andrew in the gut. Andrew recoiled and the German took the opportunity to tackle him and try to choke him. As Andrew was trying to get the man off of him, the German then noticed the faint 'USMC" lettering on his jacket.

'An American? No matter, you will die by my hand Yank." The German said in English to Andrew as he tried desperately to get the German off of him. Andrew was losing his breath fast and was close to passing out when he remembered that he had his KaBar knife tucked in his waist. With lightning speed, he moved his right hand from the German's arm and reached for his KaBar. He then stabbed the German in the throat, catching the German by surprised.

As blood began to trickle from the throat onto the knife and onto Andrew's hand with some blood dripping on his face, Andrew leaned in and whispered into the German's ear, "For the record, I am a Boston Red Soxs fan Kraut. Get that right." Andrew then pulled the knife out and pushed the German, the soldier falling back and gripping his neck, trying to stop the bleeding. Andrew then stabbed the man in his heart and twisted the KaBar, effectively killing the German. Once that was done, Andrew then went to the MG-34, turned it around on it's tripod, pulled the charging handle back then forward, and fired a barrage of bullets at the Germans. Those who weren't in cover got cut to pieces by the machine gun, falling to the ground looking like swiss cheese while those in cover stayed there, taking only pot shots at the Gallians.

Kurt saw this and ordered his men forward and they advanced to where Andrew was and continued to lay fire on the Germans. This went on for one more hour, with the Gallians reducing the Germans to about 15 men, until suddenly a German soldier popped up.

" _Wir übergeben!_ " the German soldiered yelled at the Gallians, with hands raised but one of the Gallians, high off adrenaline fired at the German failing to notice that the man surrendered. The bullet hit the german in the chest, killing him instantly. Another German the popped up, with a white rag and his hands raised.

" _Nicht schießen, Nicht schießen! Wir übergeben!_ " the German yelled as more German soldiers raised their hands in surrender. Kurt seeing this then yelled in German.

" _Halten Sie die Hände hoch!_ " Then Kurt along with everyone else then approached cautiously towards the Germans, not knowing if it was a trap or not. Once they reached the Germans, and found that they were really surrendering, they disarmed them and grouped them under a tree. Kurt then assigned two of his men to guard them.

"I can't believe it, we actually won." One of the Gallians commented, not believing that they were able to win against a superior force.

'We didn't even lose anyone. I can't believe it." Another Gallian commented.

"But why did they surrender? It was only six of us and like twenty of them." That question was answered when from the German side, a Gallian scout appeared.

"Lieutenant Irving!"The scout yelled.

"I'm here." Kurt responded. The scout spotted Kurt and made his way to him.

"Sir, the captain wants me to let you know that the enemy headquarters in the area has been taken and he is asking for you and your squad to meet up with the main force." the scout reported.

'Roger that," Kurt replied then turned to his men, "Alright, everyone round up the prisoners we are moving out." Everyone then began to get the prisoners up, since they were sitting on the ground, and moved them out. Kurt was in the rear, making sure that no one was left behind and making sure that none of the Germans would run, even though they were flanked by Kurt's men. Andrew who was collecting some ammo ran up to Kurt. Along with M1, Andrew decided to bring along the MG-34, since he needs to figure out why the M1 jammed in the first place.

"Well, seemed like your plan worked Lieutenant." Andrew said as they made their way to the Gallian's new outpost.

"Yes, but I feel like the plan could have been done a lot more better." Kurt replied.

"Well, no plan serves first contact, so don't really think much of it. Though, you should have asked for a bit more men. We got lucky in this battle, since we achieved surprise and that this front wasn't as equipped as I thought it would be, but that won't happen all the time. Additional forces as backup would be nice to have in case something happened.' Andrew stated. Kurt thought about it for a minute. Indeed, the Gallians were lucky in that they caught the Germans off guard. Now that the Germans know that the Gallians were here, they would not hesitate to counterattack.

"We need to talk to the captain. The Germans might be planning a counterattack against us." Kurt said as he quicken his pace.

"Not planning, they are probably getting ready to launch it." Andrew commented as he kept up. The group made their way to the new Gallian outpost to alert the captain about the possible counterattack.

 **Translation:**

1\. _Hans, sie haben ein anderes= Hans, do you have another one_

 _2._ _Alarm! Alarm! Gallian Soldaten!= Alarm! Alarm! Gallian Soldiers!_

 _3._ _Wir übergeben!= We surrender!_

 _4._ _Nicht schießen= Don't shoot_

 _5._ _Halten Sie die Hände hoch!= Keep your hands up!_

 **Author's Note: Well, we finally see Kurt and Andrew fighting together. The German was taken from a translator so if they are wrong, please let me know and I will fix it. Due to school, updates for the story will be slow but I will try to update every two weeks from now on. Anyways, leave a review and PM if you have any questions about the story. Until next time.**


	5. Chapter 4: Preparing for battle

_So it's been awhile since I updated. I apologize guys, school and work has been keeping me busy and I haven't been up to par with uploading so today I will be uploading two chapters to make it up. Also, shoutout to those who actually read this story and who have followed and favorite this story. Thanks for the support guys. Anyway onto the story. Again, I do not own Valkyria Chronicles. They belong to Sega._

Chapter 4: Preparing for Battle

The town of Vasel. A major town that was built on the banks of the River Vasel, it's port is used to take shipments from the River Scheldt. This makes the town of Vasel an important town to be held by both the Gallians and the Germans.

For the Gallians, the town is a key transportation hub with five roads leading in various directions from the city. This would allow the Gallian military to move their forces around the country along with sending supplies and reinforcements to units that have been surrounded by the German forces and to towns and villages that are behind German lines.

For the Germans, the town serves as a staging point. The town is only seven miles away from the Gallian capital, Randgriz. With the town's crossroad, they would be able to like Army Group North and Army Group South with the crossroads. The combined armies would then march onto Randgriz, taking the city and reabsorbing Gallia back into the German Reich.

In late March, lead elements of the Army Group Center took the town. They forced the small Gallian regular army force, supported by local militia and town watch, to retreat and began to fortify the town for an impending counterattack. However, after days of waiting and not seeing any attempt of a counterattack, the German units began to become relaxed. Units were moved to other fronts, reducing the initial force of only two divisions.

On this particular day, though, things were different. A transmission was received from one of the vanguard units at the outskirts of the town. Gallian forces had counterattacked and have taken a position, overlooking the town. Not wanting to let the Gallians get too comfortable in their new positions, the German commander in town ordered a small force to attack the Gallians before they could fortify the position.

As the Germans were preparing for the counterattack, one of them was running through the mess of soldiers and support personnel to head to an officer meeting he was already late to. The officer weaved through groups of soldiers, making a bee-line to the town hall where his division, the 14th Panzer Division. Before heading inside city hall, the officer paused to fix his uniform. He was wearing the standard German tanker uniform but in addition he had a medal around his neck. It was the the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves, one of the highest medals in the German Reich. The man fixed his brown hair to make it look presentable and entered town hall.

Inside, German soldiers were attending to their business, manning radios, typing up orders, etc. At the center of town hall, there is a table where many of the other officers along with his commander were standing. The young officer made his way to the table and stood beside an infantry officer.

"What did I miss Walther?" The young officer asked his friend.

"Just a summary of what happened. Seems like the Gallians have some fight in them after all." Walter replied.

"Well, what do you expect? This is their country after all." The officer replied. Someone cleared their throat and the two officers turned to see their commander looking at them sternly along with the rest of the officers, though their reactions were mixed fro amused to annoyed.

"If you are done gentlemen, we have a battle to discuss." Their commander said.

"Jawohl, Hauptmann." Both of them said in unison. The Hauptmann(Captain) glared at them for a bit before continuing.

"As I was saying before, the Gallians have taken one of our positions overlooking the town. From this position, the Gallians can call in artillery on our forces in town. As a result, we will be sending an armored group to deal with the Gallians while the rest of the division stays in town to reinforce the town in preparation of the Gallian counter-attack." The Hauptmann said. He then looked at the officer who came in late.

"Oberleutnant Stauffenburg, you and your new kampfgruppe Kastner will be spearheading the counterattack. Since your kampfgruppe will be dealing with only a small force of Gallians, you will be taking three Panzer IIIs and 'Bertha'. You will be supported by grenadiers from the 3rd Infantry Division. I expect you to rout the enemy and be back in time before dinner." The Hauptmann stated. Stauffenburg looked at the map closely, thinking about his approach to attack.

"How many grenadiers are supporting my kampfgruppe?" Stauffenburg asked.

"About four platoons should be enough. The Gallians shouldn't have a big force defending the position. Survivor statements are saying that it's just a company of infantry at best half strength with no armor support. I am assuming that our glorious Luftwaffe has the skies clear for us?" The Hauptmann said as he turned to look at the Luftwaffe Ground Force representative, an Oberleutnant.

"Ja, Hauptmann. Our fighters have complete air superiority over the skies as well as out 88s and flak guns are within the outskirts of the city so that no Gallian fighters won't be able to provide support to their ground forces." The Oberleutnant said.

'Good, alright now. The rest of the division will stay in Vasel and assist with the creation of defenses in case of the Gallians attacking the town." There was moaning about that, but was silenced by a quick glare from the Hauptmann.

"Any more questions?" When no one asked a question, the Hauptmann excused the officers. Stauffenburg made his way to his tank to brief his crew when Walther stopped him.

"You are lucky. Heading out to fight while my men are stuck here piling sandbags and setting up machine gun nests."

"I don't see how I am lucky." Stauffenburg laughed. Walther joined in and the two men laughed. After they stopped, Walther extended his hand.

"Come back safe Claus."

'I will." Claus said as he shook Walther's hand. The two men parted ways with Claus making his way to his tank. His tank was located on the far side of the camp. The tank was parked in front of a bakery, which has been "graciously" providing food for the Wehrmacht. As he got closer, he saw one of his crewmen leaning on the tank. The crewmen had their cap on and over their face. Claus smiled as he approached the crewmen and when he was directly in front of her, he put his hands over his mouth and yelled.

"MAHO!" Maho jumped in surprise and was about to pull her pistol but when she saw Claus laughing, she frowned.

"Claus, please don't ever do that again. I almost shot you." Maho stated as she calmed herself from the surprise.

"Maho, you need to be more aware of your surroundings. If I was a Gallian soldier, you probably would be dead." Claus stated, though in a joking tone. Maho scoffed.

"Like the Gallian regular army can actually hit us here in Vasel."

"Then explain to me how the Gallians were able to take our position overlooking the town."

"Pure luck." Claus laughed at Maho's response, though he isn't surprised. Maho Wolf had enlisted into the Panzertruppenschule II in Wunsdorf. Enlisting at the age of fifteen, she was the youngest to graduate the school, being third in her class. She was assigned as a driver to the 8th Panzer Division of the 3rd Army and fought in the Border Skirmishes before transferring over to the 14th on the Western front. She has been promoted to be the gunner and so far in the campaign, she has performed well, destroying 7 Gallian tanks so far in the conflict.

"Anyway, get the rest of the crew up. We have a mission today and I want everyone to be on their toes for this one."

* * *

Gallian Position overlooking Vasel

"You want us to do what?" A Gallian soldier exclaimed as he and the rest of the company heard what the plan was to defend their position.

"I am allowing our American friend here to have command authority in this company. Which means he is can now order you men around as if he was a Gallian office himself." The captain stated. Meanwhile, Andrew was leaning on the wall in the barn. They were currently occupying the barn that the Germans had used as their headquarters and now the Gallians were using the barn for the same thing.

'I ain't taking an order from a Yank!" A Gallian exclaimed. Other soldiers chimed in with him. Many Gallians didn't like the United States, since they left Europe to burn during the Great War. Even now, with Gallia on the verge of being completely invaded, all America is doing is just sending supplies over and not troops, which irked Gallians in this war to no end.

"What the hell is your problem? I am just here to help you guys." Andrew stated.

"You Yanks don't give a damn about Gallia or Europa. You just want to see Europa burn while you all stay comfortably in your homes, not caring at all for the world." A Gallian soldier scowled at Andrew. Andrew began to grit his teeth, pushing himself off the wall and stomping towards the soldier. He got close to the soldier to the point that their noses were touching each other.

"Look, you little shit. Just because America doesn't want to get involved in your wars, doesn't mean we don't have a heart. America from what I remember is giving you supplies and aid. Does that look like America is watching Europa burn. Besides, it isn't our responsibility to get involved in every fucking war that you Euros decide to get into. Plus, I have three years of combat experience. Compared to many of you, i might as well be old. So, why don't you shut the fuck up and put that pride away before it get's you killed." Andrew stated. He controlled his temper, not wanting to get into a shouting fight, but he was clenching his fists, ready to strike.

The Gallian soldier was taken aback for a bit from what the American said. Then the soldier was about to say something until another voice rang out.

"Enough!" Kurt shouted. He was watching the whole situation silently and now he took the opportunity to interject.

"We don't have time for this. Right now, the Germans are preparing for a counter attack. Scouts from another squad have already reported that the Germans are sending an armor column is being prepared to head this way. I know that many of you do not trust him or even do not want to take orders from him but he does have more combat experience than all of us. So, I second the captain's decision." Kurt said. Everyone was silent for a moment. Amongst the men, there was a feeling of trust towards the young officer. He had lead them into battle and no one was hurt or seriously injured from the battle. There were still others who didn't fully trust him but the overall consensus was that the young officer had the ability to lead his men into hell and back safely and that was enough to the men.

"Well, if the lieutenant supports the Yank then I guess we should also give him a chance." a Gallian soldier said. Soon, many others voiced their agreement. This caused the man who confronted Andrew to back-off with a resigned sigh.

"Ok, now that has been taken care of, we will need to plan our defenses to take on the German counterattack. Lieutenant Irving, do you have a plan to counter this?" The captain said. Kurt rubbed his chin in thought. He looked at the map that was sprawled on a table in front of the group.

"We need to set up defensive positions around the road so that we can hit the Germans from the sides. They will mostly likely come from the main road here," Kurt said and pointed on the map. The main road leading out of Vasel to Randgriz goes through a small forest, providing enough cover to offer an ambush.

"We can have our men set up positions along the forest. As the enemy moves through the forest, we will wait for them to pass through the forest and hit them when they are within range. We will hit them from both sides, catching them off guard and holding the territory we just captured." Kurt said. There were nods of agreement amongst the group, however Andrew who was also looking at the map, had some problems with that.

"That plan is good but there is a problem. The Germans know that they are advancing through a forest. They will probably send scouts through the forest to see if the road is clear or not. They see our positions in the forest then they would send their dismounted infantry after us and we will be in real trouble."

"Then what is that you have in mind?" The Gallian captain asked.

"I honestly say dig in. We are on the high ground. Let them come to us, but that doesn't mean we can't give the Krauts a little welcome gift. We have some of their anti-personnel mines, so we can set them up all over the field leading up to us. That way it would be costly for them to take the hill and will either force them back or surrender. Or they could all die, whichever comes first." Andrew said. There was silence from the crowd. To many, it sounded like a basic plan, to others it seemed like they were just on the defensive and that they should be on the offensive.

The first person to break the silence was Kurt, "That does sound like a good plan. We would have the high ground and the Germans will be exposed by advancing on our position but what about their amor? There is a strong possibility that they would be sending their armored vehicles. They too will be crossing on open field and that would allow the infantry to have mobile cover."

"We don't have to worry about that Lieutenant." The captain responded. Everyone turned to look at the captain who had just got off the radio.

"I have been informed that their is another unit that will handle the German armored units. We just have to worry about their infantry." The Captain stated. This relieved everyone. Everyone except for Kurt and Andrew.

"Which unit is handling their armor." Andrew asked curiously.

"Don't you worry about that Yank. Just know that we won't have to worry about their armor anymore." The captain said with a smirk.

"I didn't know it at the time. But the unit that would handle the enemy panzers will be a unit that will forever change history and a unit that I would eventually end up." Andrew Vandegrift.

* * *

"Sir, seems like one of the infantry officers is heading towards us." Maho said as she looked through her sights. Claus stopped looking at the map he was looking at and saw through his periscope a grenadier approach his tank. Claus opened the hatch of his tank and took in some fresh air that came. Clause observed the convoy. There were a total of ten vehicles: three Panzer IV Auf. J, four Panzer IIIs with the short 3.7 cm KwK 36 L/45 cannon, and three . 251 half tracks carrying the four infantry platoons. Claus stretched a bit as the grenadier finally approached the tank, the officer's MP40 dangling idly on his right side. A look at the collar on the grenadier showed that the man was a Hauptmann (Captain).

"What do you need Hauptmann?" Claus asked the man. The grenadier climbed up to talk to Claus face to face.

"Some of my scouts reported an enemy tank in the forest. We don't know how many more tanks are in the forest because they were engaged by some enemy infantry." The Hauptmann said.

'Do your men know the enemy strength?"

"No, they couldn't get close enough to get an accurate count but they believe there might be more tanks due to the heavy fire they received." Claus thought about it. If there were enemy tanks in the forest, then they would be able to take out the half tracks and cause massive casualties.

"Can you leave one platoon behind? My tanks will advance through the forest to see if we can find these enemy tanks." Claus said.

"If you go looking for enemy tanks, then who is going to support the rest of my platoons?" The Hauptmann commented. Claus thought about it carefully since the infantry officer is higher rank than him and could just order him to go with them.

"I will only take my tank along with the rest of the Panzer IVs. You can take the Panzer IIIs with you. If our aerial recon is right, then you should be facing one, at best two infantry platoons." Before the kampfgruppe left Vasel, the Luftwaffe sent a JU-87 Stuka to scout the position. It radioed in stating that the enemy had only infantry platoons and no armor.

"Very well, I will have third platoon stay with you to support." The infantry officer said. He then turned and began shouting orders to his men. Claus went back into his tank and began briefing his crew.

"So, it appears that there could be some enemy tanks in the forest." Claus said.

"Finally, we get to kill some tanks rather than just supporting the infantry." The loader, Erika Schmeiser said. Erika, like Maho, went to the Panzertruppenschule II in Wunsdorf and in fact was a classmate of Maho. Erika was assigned to the 6th Army, stationed near the Balkan Confederacy and was, like Maho, redeployed to this front for the Gallian invasion.

"What's wrong Erika, I thought you always wanted to be the one to save your prince charming and someday get married to him and have children?" Maho teased her best friend. Erika blushed and began to stutter while Claus and the rest of the crew tried their best to hold in their laughter.

"M-M-Maho!" Erika screeched, trying to get Maho to not tell anymore things embarrassing to her to the crew. The rest of the crew tried to hide their laughter or were just laughing when Claus got something on the radio.

"Ok, time to get this show on the road. Johann, start up Bertha and head towards the woods. Time go hunting some Gallian tanks." Claus ordered.

"Jawol, Oberleutnant." The Panzer IV driver, Johann Schmit replied. He pressed the ignition button, starting the 12-cylinder Maybach HL 120 TRM V12 engine. The panzer roared to life and "Bertha" began to move forward, towards the woods, along with the rest of the Panzer IVs and a platoon of panzergrenadiers. As the advanced to the woods, the rest of the convoy headed down the main road towards the Gallian positions, all of them confident that it will be a cakewalk.

 **Well, there it is. The next chapter will be uploaded in a few moments after this one so stay tuned. Again if you have any questions or just want to know something then just PM me. See you guys soon.**


	6. Chp5: Counterattack and chance meeting

**Here is the next chapter guys. Hope you all enjoy it. Valkyria Chronicles belongs to SEGA. This story was created all for entertainment.**

Chapter 5: Counterattack and chance meeting

 **Gallian Position overlooking Vasel**

"German vehicles! Coming from the main road!" A Gallian scout yelled, pointing to the east. Kurt was looking at a map when he heard the yell and looked up. He grabbed his binoculars and looked down onto the main road and sure enough there were a column of vehicles coming from the main road. Kurt counted 3 German halftracks and 4 Panzer IIIs.

"Everyone, get into position! Remember the plan everyone!" Kurt yelled at the men. The men got into position behind sandbags, and into trenches that they hastily dug up. Kurt got behind a pile of sandbags, loaded a full magazine into his Mags M4, and pulled the charging handle, chambering a round into the submachine gun.

"Will this plan of your work, lieutenant?" The Gallian captain asked as he settled next to Kurt.

"I believe that it will sir. The Germans won't know what will hit them." Kurt stated, "Besides, the variables are in our favor for this victory."

"What makes you say that?" Another Gallian officer who had arrived with his platoon recently to support the position asked.

'Because we have an ace up our sleeve."

* * *

The German kampfgruppe, or most of it, finally made it through the forest, unscathed. Fearful of an ambush, they advanced through the forest with caution. However, after about ten minutes of encountering no resistance, the infantry commander concluded that there weren't any Gallians in the surrounding forest and ordered the convoy to continue on with haste. As they emerged out of the forest, the sight of the Gallian position impressed the German infantry captain.

Leading up to the hill were a series of trenches, which looked like it was made with haste, as well as piles of sandbags at random positions to provide cover for the infantry. The infantry captain observed and saw that the Gallians seemed to not have any anti-tank weapons or any of those lancers that have been destroying German panzers with efficiency.

" _Infanterie, hinauszugehen und in Richtung der feindlichen Stellungen. Alle panzers im Voraus, und die Unterstützung der Infanterie."_ The infantry captain ordered over the radio. The halftracks stopped and the rear door open and the infantry spilled out. The Panzer IIIs moved forward to cover the half tracks as the infantry got out. Once the infantry got out, the captain then ordered the infantry to advance and soon the battle begins.

* * *

" _You know, i had forgotten how well German weapons were. After that first battle, I made a rookie mistake into assuming that the German counterattack would probably be small, maybe a few half tracks and some Panzer 38(t)s that they used for internal problems. I had no idea how wrong I was." Andrew W. Vandegrift._

The Panzer III fired again and the shell hit the ground about 5 yards away from where Kurt's position. The Germans were relentless with their attack, having their tanks in front firing their main cannon while the infantry along with half tracks in the back taking pot shots with their rifles or laying down suppressive fire with MG42 on the half tracks or my infantrymen carrying MG42s Kurt peeked out of cover and fired a spray of bullets at the advancing Germans killing one soldier until ducking again to avoid the hailstorm of bullets. Another Panzer III fired and this round hit four sandbags, killing the four Gallian soldiers using it as cover instantly.

"Lieutenant, when is this plan of your going to happen? We are taking a serious pounding from those tanks." The captain said as he fired his Mags M4 at the Germans.

"Just wait, he knows what he is doing. He won't fail us." Kurt said as more bullets whizzed above him.

"That Yank better remember to do his part." The other Gallian officer said.

"Trust me. He will."

* * *

"When will we attack? Our allies are getting killed out there." One of the Gallian soldiers asked Andrew.

"Wait, not yet. Wait until they are a bit closer." Andrew said. He and some Gallian soldiers were in the forest. They were laying on the ground in the forest. Due to the Germans being too overconfident, they had not scouted the forest and as a result had no idea that a squad of Gallians had hid in the forest. They had some sort of camouflage over them with a various of leaves and twigs all over their uniform and helmets for some. In addition with the weapons that they would normally carry, they also had with them Panzerfausts. These were shoulder launched rockets that are able to tank out tanks with ease. Right now, Andrew and the Gallians are just waiting for the perfect opportunity.

"Ok, on my signal, give those bastards holy hell." Andrew stated as he got out of his cover and motioned everyone to do the same. The rest of the Gallians got up, kneeled and removed the safety off the Panzerfaust. Andrew looked at the armored vehicles, so far they haven't advanced much due to the German infantry were being pinned by a few Gallian Maxim machine guns that had arrived to reinforce the position. The Germans had no idea as to what was to come to them.

"NOW!" Andrew yelled, firing his Panzerfaust. The others did the same, a streak of rockets fired from the forest and heading towards the enemy tanks. Out of the five rockets, two of them made contact with the Panzer IIIs and two hit the half tracks. One warhead hit the Panzer III near it's ammunition magazine, igniting the ammo and blowing the turret off.

"Well, damn. That was one hell of a firework show." One of the Gallian soldiers commented. The bullets began firing into their direction and he ducked.

"If you have time to comment, you have time to shoot." Andrew scowled as he set his MG42, cocked the machine gun and let loose a hail of bullets. The other Gallians were doing the same and soon along with the other Gallian force on the hill, they fire were starting to stall the German advance. Soon Kurt began to notice that a German officer was shouting something and soon the remaining Panzer III then backing up and fired a round and a white smoke appeared where the round hit.

"It seems like they are pulling back." The Gallian officer said. Kurt nodded in agreement. Then another Gallian soldier appeared with a radio on his back.

'Sir, the Yankee is on the radio." Kurt then took the handset.

"Lt. Irving, we need to take the momentum. I suggest we pursue those retreating units." Andrew said through the radio.

"Are you sure? They still have that tank." Kurt said.

"Kurt, they are in confusion. They are panicking right now. Now would be the time to push them back and probably get closer to Vasel and establish at least a presence in the city. Plus, I think we should lend that unit holding up the rest of the armor a hand." Sure enough, Kurt then heard more cannon fire coming from where the Germans were retreating. It was coming from the unit that had engaged the enemy panzers.

"They sound like they can use the help. I suggest we help them." Andrew said.

"Alright, standby." Kurt then faced his superior officer. The captain had an inkling of what Andrew suggested.

"If you believe that we can do it, Lieutenant then you have my permission." Kurt gave it some more thought and then told Andrew.

"Andrew, you have my permission. We will back you up. See if you can reach that unit to help them out." Andrew smiled a cheshire cat smile.

"Roger." Andrew then handed the handset back to the radio man.

"Alright everyone, want to go Nazi hunting." The men around him smiled, happy about the idea.

"Ok, follow my lead and you will make it back alive." Andrew said as he lead his makeshift squad after the Germans.

* * *

"Scheisse (shit) the bastards took out Martha." Claus heard over the headset. He didn't need that reminder due to the fact his tank was next to "Martha" and saw how the Panzer IV took a hit and immediately burst into flames from the impact. Claus doubted anyone could escape from that.

"Maho, find that goddamn tank and kill it already!" Claus ordered as he tried to look for the tank himself.

"It's not that easy in this foliage. I can barely see through the bushes and that shot had to be somewhere far since I can't see any flash from the cannon." Maho reported. Claus gritted his teeth. It wasn't suppose to be like this. His platoon and the infantry platoon advanced into the forest and were expecting a small Gallian force that would run in the face of German firepower. That wasn't the case the moment one of the Panzer IVs were suddenly taken out and then a hail of bullets rained from the forest. So far, they have only advanced about 3 km and they have lost two tanks and probably a quarter of the infantry.

"Sir, I think I am seeing some of their infantry. You might want to look at this." Johann said. Claus adjusted his periscope and saw the infantry facing them. Unlike the regular Gallian infantry that he has been used to facing, these soldiers were all wearing black, similar to that of the SS. Also they were more well trained than the regular Gallian soldiers. However, as Claus observed, they are armed with antique weapons, some of them probably dating back to the First World War. However, that was not what caught his attention. What caught his attention was a woman with hair that was odd and somewhat familiar. The top portion of her hair was red but going down, her hair was white. She was firing her rifle and then pulled out what appears to be grenades tied together. Claus began to sweat.

'Maho, enemy soldier to our left. She has bundle grenades. Take her out!" Claus yelled. Maho turned the turret to the left and upon seeing the woman, fired. Maho had forgotten to switch to the coaxial machine gun and fired the main cannon. The gun fired and hit the area where the girl was but Claus saw someone run up to the woman and seemed to shield her before the round impacted. Claus was about to order another shot until the radio blared.

"Oberleutnant, you are ordered to fall back." Claus heard his commander's voice in the intercom.

'Sir, there must be some mistake." Claus said, not believing the orders.

"They are official, oberleutnant. You are to fall back to Vasel immediately."

'But sir, we can beat them! Just give us-"

"CLAUS! Now is not the time. I received word that the assault on the Gallian position has failed and they are falling back. You are to retreat and cover their retreat." Claus couldn't believe this. Since when did the Gallians get this good? Soon, his radio operator snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Sir, the infantry are reporting that Gallian reinforcements are pursuing our retreating forces and they say that they might have captured Panzerfausts." Gefreiter Josef Winter stated. Claus turned his periscope and sure enough he saw the retreating forces and they were in disarray. Then suddenly, the remaining half track blew up. It moved a few more feet until it stopped, the crew and soldiers inside getting out, some of them on fire and screaming in pain.

"Damnit. Fine, we have no choice. Josef, radio all remaining tanks to retreat. Johann, get us out of here. Maho, fire a smoke round and switch to coaxial and cover the infantry." Claus ordered.

"Roger, Erica load smoke." Erica reached behind her and pulled a smoke round. She loaded it into the breach.

"Loaded." Erica called out.

"On they way." Maho called out as she pressed the trigger and the round fired, creating a smoke screen. The Panzer IV then reversed and began to fall back. As they retreated along with the other retreating Germans, the crew was silent. Their high spirits gone, instead replaced with despair.

* * *

" _Once we were chasing the German forces, I knew we just hit the nail on them. They began to panic and what was suppose to be a normal retreat turned into a rout. In all, we destroyed 3 Panzer IIIs, 3 Panzer IVs, and all the half tracks. Most of their infantry was killed as well but we also took loses as well. 15 Gallian soldiered died that day and one of those deaths would let me meet my future squad." -Andrew W. Vandegrift._

Andrew surveyed the scene before him. They have finally pushed the Germans back and now are even more closer to the city. They were currently regrouping near a farmhouse, a couple of miles away from the town. Everyone so far was resting, having survived the second battle against the Germans.

"We won." One of the Gallian soldiers said.

"Lieutenant Irving was right. It seemed like we were destined to win." Another Gallian soldier said.

"It looks like he deserves his reputation. Two victories against the Germans is not an easy task. It takes sound judgement, keen perception, analytical ability, a cool-headed strategy and a full understanding of the heart of the enemy," The Gallian captain commented, smiling, "He is a genius."

"It was nothing. I was merely given the conditions necessary to succeed." Kurt replied. Andrew understood that. Without those Panzerfausts in the farmhouse, this plan probably didn't work. But then again it was Andrew that suggested the plan and told Kurt who relayed it to the others.

"Don't be so modest, you're destined to be great. As your old classmate, I feel honored." The other Gallian officer stated.

"Yeah, Kurt. You are probably one of the smartest officers I had to deal with." Andrew commented. Some of the Gallians gave him cold stares but Kurt welcomed it.

"To be fair, you also helped as well. It was you who found the panzerfausts and came up with the ambush plan."

"True, but it was you that told me the position to set up and gave me authority to do it. So, in a sense you should take the credit." Andrew actually wanted some credit for the planning but he knew he probably wouldn't be well liked so he just let Kurt have the credit. Bedsides, Kurt seemed like a smart officer.

Andrew heard more voices and noticed that more Gallian forces were arriving and gathering in this area.

"Seems like a lot of Gallian soldiers are showing up here." The Gallian officer said. Kurt nodded.

"We need to retake Vasel so that the Germans won't have a foothold to attack Randgriz. So, it makes sense that the Gallian amy is gathering here." Kurt noted. This caught many off guard a bit, minus Andrew.

"You were just assigned here by HQ, and you can already strategically assess our situation?" The Gallian officer exclaimed.

"Isn't that how it should be? We should always try to anticipate the troop movements of both our allies and our enemies." Andrew was now really impressed with Kurt. When he was an officer back in the Marine Corp, he too would anticipate the movements of his allies and enemies so seeing someone who peaked Andrew's interest.

"Finally, I see my first competent Gallian officer. I might just stick around with you from now on." Kurt smiled at that though the other Gallians didn't really like that comment and it can be shown on their faces. Then Kurt noticed something in the distance. He turned to his left and saw a group of soldiers in unknown uniforms surrounding a man on the ground. One of those soldiers, a woman with odd colored hair, was on the ground crying over a body of probably her commander. From where Kurt and Andrew were , they can hear the conversation.

"Captain! Open your eyes…. Captain! Don't die!" The woman cried, her sobs becoming louder and louder.

"Stand up No. 13. We don't have time to mourn." A man said, kneeling behind him. He had a brown jacket and a headset around his neck. Andrew saw it and it reminded him of those tankers he had to deal with back in Alaska. Andrew and Kurt and looked at the rest of their squad. They both saw three more men and another woman behind the pair. The girl, though, looked really young, with Andrew assuming she must still be a kid.

"But-" The girl said before the kneeling man cut her off.

"This is the way things are….. We will keep fighting these battles." The kneeling man said. One of the men behind him gritted his teeth.

'Sending a squad of infantry to obstruct a platoon of tanks is a suicide mission!" The man exclaimed. This caught Andrew by surprise. Sending an infantry squad against a platoon of tanks is not a suicide mission, that's a death sentence.

"Meanwhile, the main force used us as a chance to advance and take the glory. Our army is just awesome right?" Another soldier said.

"Damnit! They're sending us out as cannon fodder! Quit screwing us over!" Another soldier said, his fists clenched tight by his sides. Andrew observed this and shook his head in disgust. He has seen bad mistakes made by Gallian command but this is beyond stupid. Gallian command seems like to really want these soldiers dead.

"What's with that squad…" Kurt asked, curious about the squad.

"That's the 422nd. Also known as the Nameless. They are a squadron consisting society's worst: military criminals and lawbreakers. Their punishment is to serve in that unit. HQ considers them dispensable. All of the most dangerous missions are assigned to them. I've heard that if they violate an order, they are sent to the firing squad. I never want to be sent to them." The Gallian officer said. Andrew has seen penal battalions before. The Soviets had many of them and they would send them on suicide charges against the American lines so Andrew has some sympathy to them.

"It's all my fault captain! Because of me…" The woman cried before filling crying over his body. Andrew felt some pity for her. Kurt seemed to look on in thought.

'A penal unit huh?" Kurt noted. Before he could continue, a voice rang out.

"Pardon me, are you Second Lieutenant Kurt Irving?" Kurt turned around and came face to face with a Gallian general. The man was forty-two years old, , has a clean shaven face, blue eyes, blonde hair and mustache, and finally a well kept Gallian uniform. From this man's presence, one can tell he was in charge.

"That's me sir." Kurt said, saluting the general.

"I am Major General Carl Isler. It seems that you've pulled off another amazing the army already recognizes your talent as Lanseal's top graduate, you still managed to exceed our expectations." Isler said, extending his hand. Kurt took it and both men shook.

"I have high expectations for you. I expect to see you again." Isler said before walking off.

"Sir!" Kurt called out to the general. Once the general left, the other Gallian officer approached Kurt.

" A general came to talk to you personally! There's no doubt that your future is bright!" The officer exclaimed, "I beg of you, please let me follow you!" Andrew looked at the officer in disgust. He observed the entire conversation and knew when someone was glory seeking when he see one.

"This is a time of war. The only things we must consider are how to fight and how to win." Kurt said. Everyone around him nodded in understanding, including Andrew. Andrew turned around to see that the penal unit was leaving. He then jogged to them.

"Hey!" Andrew called out. They stopped and turned back and were surprised to see someone running to them and not wearing a Gallian military uniform. The man with the headset approached Andrew.

'Yes? What can I help you with?" The man asked Andrew, his look being suspicious.

"You the squad that held up those Panzer IVs?" Andrew asked.

"Yes, that is correct."

'Well, I want to say that you guys really saved our lives. If those Panzer IVs had been part of the assault on us, we would have been goners so," Andrew extended his hand to the man, " thanks for saving our asses." The man recoiled a bit and was surprised by that statement. Andrew assumed he probably never heard someone thank him or something. Then Andrew finally noticed the man's hair. The man was a Darcsen, so now Andrew really understood why he was surprised.

"Well, thanks for your words. It feels nice to hear some words of thanks from someone." The man said, shook Andrew's hand and smiled.

"I served with Darcsens back in the Marine Corp. I have high respect to the Darcsen people. Hope we can meet again." The man smiled and nodded. Andrew nodded as well and then turned and ran to Kurt so he can catch a ride back to the fort.

' _That would be the first time I met Gusurg and the Nameless and it would not be the last time I will be meeting them.'_

 **Translation:**

Infanterie, hinauszugehen und in Richtung der feindlichen Stellungen. Alle Tanks im Voraus, und die Unterstützung der Infanterie= Infantry, get out and advance towards the enemy positions. All tanks, advance and support the infantry.

 **Whoa, this was one long chapter. I think this one was my longest chapter I have written so far. I would like to say here that this story in itself is still a draft of sorts and is subject to change in the future so any reviews would be nice but again I would like to thank the people who read this story. You guys are amazing. Anway, leave a review and as for updates, it might be awhile but I hope the next chapter would be out by Thanksgiving. See you all later.**


	7. Chapter 6: Entering the Nameless

_Hey everyone! So finally, another update to this story. Sorry it took awhile been busy with school and work lately. Anyway, here is a new chapter and as always this story is completely for entertainment. I do not own anything minus my character._

Chapter 6: Getting into the Nameless

After getting back to Fort Amaranthine, Andrew went around looking for his friend to get a new weapon since it would be hard to for him to fix the firing pin of this M1 again since finding another firing pin for the M1 will be hard. He has been wandering around, trying to find his friend since she wasn't in her office. Approaching the one of the hangars that populated the base, Andrew looked in and was a bit surprised to see a huge tank inside the hangar. From Andrew's experience, the only tanks that Andrew saw the Gallians use were either light or medium tanks with weak 30mm or short barreled 75mm cannons, not enough firepower to penetrate the more heavy German tanks like the Panther or Tiger. However, the tank Andrew is looking at has a tank cannon that looks similar to the 88mm guns that he has see on the Tigers. He approached the tank and studied it a bit more. The tank had frontal armor protection in the form of rounded glacis and sloped armor. It also looked like the tank also enjoyed all around protection from the hardened protection. Andrew walked around and was impressed with the tank. It looked like a mixture of a King Tiger and Panther tank and with this tank, German tanks will have to think twice before freely engaging this tank. As he continued to observe the tank, there was a bang coming from inside the tank.

"Ow." A voice came out of the tank. Andrew, curious, climbed the tank and opened the hatch and looked inside. Inside the tank, he saw a girl inside the tank. She was on the floor of the tank and rubbing her head. She wore a long sleeved tunic and a skirt that had the colors of the Gallian militia and had a variety of tools around her waist but it was the Darcsen shawl and her dark blue hair was what caught his attention. From what Andrew has seen, Darcsens were still discriminated in Europa and especially in Gallia so seeing a Darcsen working on a tank like this surprised him a bit.

"Hey there." Andrew greeted. The girl looked up at him. She then furrowed her brows.

"Can I help you sir?" The girl asked.

"Well, I should be asking you that. I heard you bang your head from outside the tank." Andrew stated. The girl looked surprised a bit but recovered.

"Thank you for your concern sir but I am fine now. You may go now." The girl then got back up and went back to work.

"Whatchu working on here?"

"I am recalibrating the Edelweiss' main cannon so that it can fire more accurately." The name of the tank peaked Andrew's interest.

"Wait, you just said the Edelweiss. Isn't that the tank that…." Andrew stopped his sentence then went wided-eyed. Right now, he was on top of the tank that General Gunther used to beat the Germans back in the First World War.

"Yes, this is the tank General Gunther used. The one my father created." The girl replied while continuing her work.

"Father?" Andrew began to think about the engineer who created the tank. Then it dawned on him.

"Wait, you're the daughter of Theimer. THE Theimer?" Andrew asked. The girl shook her head.

"Damn.I never thought I would meet the daughter of Theimer. You must be one hell of an engineer then if you are his daughter." The girl smiled a bit from that.

"Thank you for the comment. I'm sorry but I must go back to my work." Andrew observed her work for a bit before pushing her aside a bit, which shocked her.

"You need to tighten the screws here to hold the targeting scope in place. That way it won't wobble around as the tank is moving." Andrew said as he tighten the screw holding the targeting scope. Isara observed and was amazed that this man was able to know how to fix the targeting scope.

"Also, I recommend that you get a gyro-stabilizer. Your father created one for the U.S when we asked him to design one for us when we made the early version of our Shermans. Your father helped us a lot in advancing our military so it's nice to meet his daughter. So, you should look into getting the gyro-stabilizer." Andrew said, finally finished in fixing the targeting scope. Isara nodded.

"Thank you. Also what is your name?" Isara asked.

"Andrew Walker Vandegrift." Andrew answered and extending his hand.

"Isara Gunther." Isara replied and took his hand. They shook and Andrew looked at his watch.

"Well, I love to stay and talk but I have to find my friend now. Do you happen to know where a Jessica Lynch is?" Isara thought about it and then replied.

"I think I saw her head to the mess hall when I was getting materials to fix the Edelweiss." Andrew pinched his nose.

"Why didn't I think of that? Thanks Isara." Andrew then began to climb out of the tank but before he left, he poked his head back into the tank.

"Also Isara, I don't know if you heard this yet, but just know that you are one talented mechanic and even though you are Darcsen don't let anyone tell you otherwise ok?" Isara smiled at that.

"I will, thank you." Andrew smiled and nodded and then got off the tank and jogged to the mess hall.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the base, Kurt was walking through the halls of the main administration building. He was called to General Isler for a meeting with the general and now he was trying to find the general's office.

"Major General Isler's quarters is…. Here." Kurt said as he finally found the room. Just as he was about to open the door, a voice rang out.

"Out of my way!" Kurt turned around and then felt someone run into him. A man in civilian clothes ran into Kurt and was now on the ground.

"Tch." The man said as he got up and pushed back Kurt and ran out of the building.

" _A civilian in a military facility? That's rare."_ Kurt thought to himself. He then noticed on the ground a letter. He bent down and picked it up.

"What's this? Did that person drop it?" Kurt then turned the envelope and saw a signature, "This signature…. It's from Major General Isler." Kurt then thought about it for a minute before deciding that he should give this back to Major General Isler. Kurt then knocked on the general's door.

"Come in." A voice replied. Kurt opened the door and saw that the general was at his desk, looking over some dispositions related to the war effort. Kurt approached his desk and saluted Isler.

"Second lieutenant Irving, reporting as ordered sir!" Kurt said.

"Thank you for coming. Welcome, Second Lieutenant Irving." Isler replied. Standing up from his desk, he offered his hand to Kurt and both men shook hands.

"Sir! I think I should return this to you first…" Kurt then pulled out the envelope and handed it to Isler. Isler saw the letter and began to become nervous.

"Oh… Tell me where did you find this?" Kurt noticed how Isler's voice was a bit shaky but Kurt didn't really pay attention to it.

"I bumped into a civilian on the way here and I think he dropped it. Once I saw your name was on it, I brought it here immediately." Isler then soon became relieved.

"Thank you. You did the right thing." Isler said as he put the envelope into his pocket.

"How can I help you today, Major General?" Kurt asked.

"I just wanted to give you some words of encouragement. Thanks to your outstanding talent, I'm certain there will be a day when you'll be known throughout keep this in mind from now on. Kurt smiled at the comment and the conversation was soon filled with questions about life and plans for the future.

When Kurt left the office, Isler began to ponder on what to do. Isler doesn't know if Kurt saw what was inside the letter or not and if he did then his career will be over.

' _Hm… I wonder if he saw the contents of the letter? I can't rule out the possibility… I'll need to act quickly.'_ Isler thought. Then an idea popped into his head and Isler smirked. He then returned to his desk and began to write up new orders to send the young lieutenant to a new unit.

' _What Isler was about to do, it will effect the war drastically. So much so that Isler would later come to regret it in the near future. As for me, well. Let's just say at that time, I too would be assigned to that same unit and change the course of this war." Andrew.W. Vandegrift._

* * *

"Jessica, are you fucking kidding me right now?!" Andrew exclaimed as he eyed the rifle that was handed to him by his friend. He had finally found his friend in the mess hall and after much asking and annoying, he finally was able to ask her to hook him up with a new rifle. However, the rifle in question wasn't what Andrew expected. The rifle looked old, old enough to have been used in the Great War. The rifle was 39.4 inches long and from the look it seemed to be a gas-operated weapon, making the rifle semi-automatic. However, Andrew noticed that it would have to be loaded by a stripper clip instead of a magazine.

"I'm sorry but really that is all I really have to give you at this time." Jessica stated, looking guilty as Andrew worked the bolt back and inspected the rifle, "The Cei-Rigotti is a good rifle, it fires the 7.92mm Mauser round so you can scavenge rounds from dead Germans since their Kar98Ks also use the same stripper clips." Andrew looked at the gun, still in disbelief.

"Why can't I get one of those rifles you have been experimenting on? Like that one?" Andrew pointed to a rifle at the table that seemed like it had reinforcement on the barrel and the rifle seemed to have a darker base than the standard Gallian rifle.

"That rifle is still in the experimental stage for starters and second, you are still not in the Gallian military so I can't hand that to you. Those rifles are all government property." Jessica said.

"Then I guess I should enlist into the Gallian military. Oh, wait I forgot. I CAN'T BECAUSE I AM A FUCKING FOREIGNER!" Andrew shouted, frustrated that he is being treated like the enemy. He just wants to help but if he can't get up to date weapons then he might as well just leave.

"So you want to join the Gallian military, do you?" A voice rang out. Andrew and Jessica turned around and saw a man approaching them. The man had combed back red-orange hair, mustache, and a small stubble indicating that he hasn't shaved in awhile. HIs uniform is not as well-maintained as other Gallian officers were. His blue overcoat was unbuttoned, revealing a white undershirt and dogtags. HIs sleeves were folded up to his elbows and he had a pipe in his mouth.

"Lieutenant Colonel Crowe, excuse us sir. We were just-" Crowe interrupted Jessica by raising up his right hand.

"No need Jessica, I going to ask you about that update on my unit's ammunition supply but I can't help but hear this young man's frustration." Crowe looked at Andrew and sized him up.

"So, you want to join the Gallian military huh?" Crowe asked Andrew.

"Well sir, i tried to join the regular army, hell even the militia but apparently I can't cuz I am an American." Crowe's eyebrows raised.

"An American? What is a Yank doing so far away from America?"

"I was a mercenary before the war. I was trying to make some extra money to send home." Crowe thought about it before he asked another question.

"What is your combat experience?"

"I fought throughout the Russian Invasion of Alaska as well as participated in various operations in Russia during the war. After the war, I spent the last year fighting in Border Skirmishes around Europa." Andrew stated. Crowe rubbed his chin, very impressed. Before him was someone who probably had more experience in fighting in a war than most if not all the officers in the Gallian military, even more than the Great War veterans.

"Interesting. If you want, I can get you assigned to a unit but I must warn you, this unit is not like your average unit. You will be given dangerous missions, and be behind enemy lines with little to no allied support." Andrew gae Crowe a determined look.

"Sir, I have been in some really tough situations so whatever this unit is I can handle it." Crowe looked at Andrew a bit more before nodding his head.

"Very well, I will have your uniform delivered to you to your room that you are staying at for now. I want you to report to me tomorrow at 0900. Also, bring a gift with you."

"Gift?" Andrew asked but the colonel had turned around and walked away.

"Who was that?" Andrew asked Jessica.

"He's Lieutenant Colonel Crowe. He is in charge of the special forces squad." Jessica said as she went looking through her paperwork on her table.

"Special forces huh? Not a bad unit. By the way, since now I am in the Gallian military, can I finally get those rifles now?" Jessica laughed nervously at that.

"Wellllll, his unit really doesn't get new equipment. They are a sort of a penal squad." Andrew processed that for a bit before he realized what he got himself into.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!"

 _Well, it seems like Kurt and Andrew are going to be heading to the Nameless soon. As always, leave a review or PM if you have any questions. For the next chapter, I will try my best to get it out on Thanksgiving for you all. See you all later._


	8. Chapter 7: Reassignment

**Chapter 7: Reassignment**

 **Author's note: i do not own Valkyria Chronicles, they are owned by Sega and there will be more news at the end of the chapter.**

 **Marine Corps Air Station Quantico** **. United States of America**

Marine Corps Air Station Quantico. Home to six squadrons of bombers, scout bombers, fighters, transports, utility and observation planes, the air base was built as a way to train new pilots for the Marine Corp as well as serve as an airbase for defense for the capital. Around the airbase, base personnel were around and about doing their daily jobs. Then a buzzing sound can be heard. In the skies above the base, a pair of F4U Corsairs approaching the airbase from the west.

The F4U Corsair was the Marine Corps premier ground-attack fighter. Originally designed to be a carrier fighter, it encountered problems with it's landing gear as well as having a big engine making it difficult to land on carriers. However, the Marine Corp gave the fighter an opportunity and adopted the fighter. It had it's trial by fire during the Soviet Invasion of Alaska and proved to be an effective at providing close-air support for the Marines. The plane also was a good dogfighter, handling well against the Yaks and Lavochkin fighters that the Soviets fielded as well as intercepting Ilyushin 2 ground attack fighters. It was later adopted by the Navy for the Essex class carriers.

One of the Corsairs of the pair sported markings similar to those seen on certain Darcsen clothing. The Darcsen markings were on the tail and wings as well as a painting of the Grim Reaper with his scythe in one hand and the other hand pointing outward is on the nose of the plane. The plane belonged to First Lieutenant Charlotte Vandegrift. Called the "Grim Reaper" by the Soviets, she has taken out many tanks and armored vehicles that she has lost count of how many she destroyed. As she and her wingman approached the runway, she contacted the control tower.

"Nest, this is Reaper 1, requesting permission to land along with Reaper 2." Charlotte said over the radio. After a few minutes, the control tower responded back.

'Reaper 1, you and Reaper 2 have permission to land." Charlotte then switched over to her wingman's frequency.

"Alright, rookie. Follow my lead for landing. Lower your speed and align with the runway."

"Roger ma'am." Charlotte then reduced her speed until she was comfortable with and began to lower her landing gear. She angled her Corsair to line up with the airfield and began to make her descent. Her Corsair landed without any issues and her wingman landed as well. They guided their plane to a set location and soon were surrounded by mechanics. Charlotte turned the engine off and got out of the cockpit. She pulled off her cap and shook her head, letting her dark blue hair to wave a bit.

"How was the flight ma'am?" One of the mechanics asked. Charlotte turned to him and smiled.

"She's like an angel. The fifty cals might need to be recalibrated but overall, everything is alright." Charlotte then stretched a bit then hopped off. She made her way to the rookie pilot who was stretching himself.

"Nice job today rookie. Work on calculating your angle of approach for when you strafe better and you will be one hell of a pilot. Plus always be aware of your surroundings. That was why I was able to get on your back, you need to always check around you."

"Got it, ma'am." Charlotte nodded and headed to the main headquarters building. Inside, marines were out and about doing their duty. Charlotte weaved her way through the hallways and made it to her commanding officer's office. The marine secretary in front of the office looked up from their work and looked at the lieutenant.

'What can I do for you ma'am?" The marine NCO said.

"I have an appointment with Colonel Katzroy?" The marine picked up the phone at his desk and dialed a number. He waited a few minutes before someone on the other side picked up and spoke for a few seconds before hanging up.

"The colonel would see you now ma'am." The marine said. Charlotte then headed towards the office and opened the door. The office wasn't really big, it was a standard officer office with two shelves on both sides of the room and a desk at the center. Sitting at his desk, Colonel Sazh Katzroy, CO of the 118th Marine Fighter Squadron, was looking over some papers. He looked up and saw that Charlotte had entered and was standing in front of him at attention.

"Ah, Lieutenant Vandegrift. Have a seat." Sazh said. Charlotte took a seat in a chair in front of him. She had a neutral face but Sazh knows that behind that mask was an anxious and scared woman and he knew the reason why.

"Lieutenant, I got your letter for reassignment. And I just want to ask if you are absolutely sure about this?" Sazh asked. Charlotte answered without hesitation.

"Yes, sir. I believe that Gallia needs all the help they can get, especially against the Luftwaffe." Sazh sighed. He knew exactly why Charlotte requested the transfer so he might as well address it now.

"Charlotte, if this is to look for your husband, then-"

"Sir, I want to make a difference in this war. Whether I am able to find my husband would be nice but the people of Gallia takes priority." Sazh saw her twitch a bit and sighed again.

"Charlotte, we know that answer is bullshit. I know you want to-"

"Sir, I would have to disagree. I simply want-"

"Lieutenant, let me finish my say!" Sazh said, raising his voice a bit. Charlotte remained silent.

"Charlotte, I understand your feeling. I felt the same way when I was seperated from my wife and son but I want to know your honest answer before I decide if this reassignment will go through or not." Charlotte took a deep breath and finally spilled everything out.

"I miss him! Everyday i don't know if he is alive or stuck behind enemy lines again or he might be alone out there. He could be injured or worse. Sir, please I beg you just please let me get this reassignment so I can at least get information about whether he is safe or not. Please sir."

"You also understand that by being assigned to this squadron, there will be no guarantee that you will be able to find him. He is not registered in any military unit and is a freelance mercenary and can be anywhere in the country. Do you still want to go? Also, it means giving up your commission in the Marine Corp and being a Second Lieutenant again." Charlotte answered without hesitation.

"Yes, sir. Even though there might be a small chance in meeting him, I want to try sir. So please, let me go sir. I have some experience fighting Soviet fighters so I can at least fight against those Krauts." Sazh thought about it for a moment. She had a point, since she fought against Soviet Lavochkin,Yaks, and Ilyushins in nothing more than in a Wildcat. The unit that Charlotte would probably end up will be in worse condition but he believes she can handle it. Plus, she won't give up on this until she gets the transfer so he caved in.

'Very well, I will get this reassignment up the chain of command and most likely it will get approved since Gallia is looking for more pilots. Report to the USAAC representative on the tarmac at 0800. Dismissed." Charlotte smiled a bit but returned to being neutral and saluted.

"Thank you sir. I won't let you down sir."

'I know you won't. Now get out of here before I change my mind." Charlotte smiled a bit before shaking hands with Sazh and exited the office. She broke into a jog back to her room and once there she began to pack her stuff. As she was looking for stuff to pack, she comes across a small item that Andrew got her a while back. It was a red star-shaped lucky charm that is used to provide luck to travelers according to the locals of the island they visited when they were on their honeymoon. She picked up the charm and held it to her heart.

' _We will see each other again soon Andrew. So don't die on me or else I will go to heaven and drag your ass back on Earth and kill you for leaving me.'_

* * *

 **Fort Amaranthine**

Andrew was laying on his bed, looking up at the lucky charm he always kept on him since he got married. Like Charlotte's, it is star-shaped lucky charm but his is black. As Andrew stared at it, he can't help but feel like Charlotte and him are connected by it. Like she will always be with him. Andrew then shook his head. Now was not the time to think about that, now he had to get ready for that meeting with his new CO. He got off the bed and head towards the closet where his new uniform was. He opened the closet and eyed the new uniform. It was the standard Gallian scout uniform but instead of being blue with either red or gold trimmings, it was instead black with red lines here and there along the uniform. His jacket had two breast pockets along with the units logo on the left side of the jacket, a Doberman with a muzzle bounded around it's mouth. Andrew checked his watch and decided to get ready. He put on his uniform and looked at his uniform in the mirror. He had gauntlets around both his arms that is separate from the elbow armor along with gloves over his hands. He had knee armor plates above his laced up boots. He turned around and saw that on his back were the letters "Altaha Abilia" which were similar to what was on his armband on his left arm. Actually, now he thought about it, the armband is similar to what the Waffen SS wear on their uniforms but he just puts it out of his mind for now. Right now, he just straightens his uniform out and collects his belongs which at this point only consists of his new rifle and ammo, his black balaclava, and a canteen. He left his room and made his way to Crowe's office.

As he was making his way to the office, people he ran into would often give him dirty looks or would just avoid his gaze. Andrew notices the looks and is really not surprised. Ever since he has been in this country, many Gallians, specifically the nobles and officers, have been looking down on him because he was a foreigner. Gallia has always been proud of the claim that they are able to repel any invasion by themselves like they had back in the Great War. Andrew, however, knew the truth. In reality, Gallia is lucky to have survived this long by itself. Germania's superior air power as well as it's blitzkrieg tactics have decimated Gallia's forces and it is due to sheer luck and heroism that Gallia is still alive. Andrew knew this but he kept his mouth shut most of the time. Nothing good would happen if he argued with a Gallian officer or civilian about it. Though, sometimes a punch or two usually shut them up as well.

Andrew climbed a flight of stairs and was surprised to see Kurt waiting outside of Crowe's office as well. He also wasn't wearing his Gallian uniform but instead it was the same uniform that Andrew was wearing but he had more armor plates on his shoulders and hips. He also had a pistol holster on his left side of the chest. Like Andrew's uniform, there was the unit's insignia on the left and Kurt's number on the right which was a 7. Andrew noticed that Kurt was frowning about something, and as Andrew approached him he looked up and offered him a small smile.

"Good to see you again Andrew." Kurt said, extending his hand. Andrew took it and shook it.

"Good to see you too. But I am curious, why are you here? Shouldn't you be with your unit?" Kurt frowned again.

"I got transferred here." Andrew recoiled a bit.

"You got transferred to a penal unit? What the hell did you do?" Kurt opened his mouth then closed it. He doesn't know if he should tell Andrew or not the reason.

 _Earlier in the day_

 _Kurt approached his commanding officer's office and knocked on the door._

" _Come in." A voice called out. Kurt opened the door and entered into the office. He approached his CO's desk and saluted._

" _You called me sir?" Kurt said. His CO saluted back and Kurt went at ease. Kurt noticed that his CO was frowning, uneasy about something._

" _I have some regrettable news for you, Second Lieutenant Irving." Kurt stiffened for a bit, unsure how to react._

" _What is it sir?" Kurt asked. His CO produced a sheet of paper from a drawer in his desk and handed it to Kurt._

" _These orders are from command, please take a look." Kurt took the piece of paper and read it. As he read it, he slowly became more and more shocked until finally he saw his orders._

" _These orders… Are they real? This must be a mistake!" Kurt exclaimed not believing this was real. Unfortunately for him, his CO only nodded his head._

" _These are official orders , you are hereby relieved of your current command and reassigned to the 422nd Squad." Kurt just couldn't believe what was happening to him._

" _But the 422nd is made up of the Nameless, it's a penal battalion!" Kurt exclaimed, trying to reason with this CO. HIs co gave him an uneasy look before replying._

" _That's correct, this transfer is your…" the commander hesitated a bit before replying._

" _... penalty for treason." Kurt, upon hearing the reason, began to become angry about this accusation._

" _Treason?! On what grounds?! I demand a better explanation!" Kurt just couldn't believe it. He was charged for treason, when he didn't do anything that would be considered treason. And yet he was being treated as a traitor to his own country._

" _Honestly, I don't understand it myself. The higher ups didn't think I needed to know." His CO replied. Kurt just got more and more confused._

" _How is that possible?" Kurt asked himself. His CO looked at him sympathetically but he had to do his job. He then continued with his orders._

" _Starting today, your commanding officer is Lieutenant Colonel Ramsey Crowe from Intel HQ. Report to Lieutenant Colonel Crowe for your new orders. You are dismissed." Kurt just stood there for a few minutes before regaining his composure and saluted his former CO._

" _Yes, sir…" Kurt said, dejectedly and then proceeded to exit the office._

Modern time

Kurt decided that not to tell Andrew. He doesn't know how Andrew would react if he knew that Kurt was sent to the 422 for treason.

"I don't want to talk about it." Kurt replied. Andrew gave him a perplexed look but shrugged.

"Hey, if you need someone to talk to, I am here to listen. But first let's go meet our new boss." Andrew said as he opened the door. Both men walked through the doors and saw who was suppose to be their boss taking a nap at his desk with his legs propped up on the desk. The two men approached Crowe's desk and Andrew banged his hand on the desk. Crowe stirred from his sleep and upon seeing the two men, stretched and addressed the two men.

"My gift?" Crowe asked. Kurt looked at him with a confused look.

"What?" Kurt asked.

"Dontcha usually bring a tribute or something? Ya know booze, women, that kind of thing?" Crowe asked. Kurt continued to look at him confused but Andrew sighed and then pulled out a small flask from his back pocket.

"Here you go old man." Andrew said, tossing the flask to Crowe. Crowe caught it and took a swig from the flask.

"Ahh, that hit the spot." Crowe said, tossing the flask back to Andrew who caught it and tucked it in his back pocket. Kurt just sighed and massaged his forehead.

"I was told to report hereby command. I haven't prepared a gift. Kurt replied.

"Oh… I see. You must be number 7 then," Crowe then looked at Andrew, " and you are number 28."

"When you say those numbers you referring to us?" Andrew asked, a bit confused by it.

"Starting today, both of you will be part of the 422nd. You both no longer have a name. You will be identified by your numbers." Crowe said, pointing at the numbers on both men's uniforms. Kurt pinched his nose while containing his anger while Andrew grit his teeth a bit but stopped, reminding himself that he was now part of a penal battalion and would have to accept it.

"There aren't any military records of your missions, so you guys don't need names." Crowe explained, noting that both men were a bit mad about being referred to as numbers.

"You're basically criminals, referred to only by your penal number. It's the reason your squad is called Nameless." Crowe said.

"Wait, I never did anything that would be considered criminal. I volunteered for this unit." Andrew stated. Crowe opened a drawer and pulled out a file. He flung it at Andrew.

"It seems like you had a sort of 'incident' involving booze and punching a Gallian officer, breaking his jaw." Andrew went wide eyed and looked opened the file. Sure enough, it was a form looking for a "foreign mercenary" that had punched a Gallian officer and a warrant for arrest. Andrew sighed.

"Fine, I guess you got me there." Crowe nodded and continued.

"Now, for number 7 here. If you put your life on the line enough, there is a chance you might get pardoned, and returned to the regular army." Kurt beamed at this.

So if someone recognizes my achievements, I can be transferred?" Kurt asked. Crowe thought about it then nodded.

"To be honest, I never seen that before. But it is possible." Crowe said.

"I will try to be the first then." Kurt said, determined to clear his name and get back to his unit. Andrew just shrugged.

"Hey, as long as news of this incident doesn't reach my wife I am good." Kurt and Crowe gave Andrew a look.

"What? I am married after all. Is that a surprise?" Andrew asked. Both men shook their heads, deciding to move on from the subject.

"Here are the orders from HQ for the Nameless' next mission. Deliver them for me." Crowe handed the set of orders to Kurt. Kurt looked them over and nodded.

"Before I leave, I would like to know the reason for my transfer." Kurt asked. Andrew gave the man a perplexed look.

' _What does he mean about the reason? What the hell is wrong with this army?"_ Andrew thought.

"How the hell should I know? Get going, already!" Crowe stated as he waved both men away and leaned back into his chair.

' _What the…? He has so little discipline… Is he really an officer?"_ Kurt thought to himself. Andrew meanwhile, was thinking about something else.

' _This guy reminds me a lot like one of my old NCOs back in the Corp. Well, at least I know how to deal with them.'_ Andrew thought to himself. Both men then saluted Crowe and left the office. As both men were walking through the hallway, Andrew asked Kurt a question.

"So, what was that about asking for the reason for your transfer?" Kurt hesitated before answering.

"It was just something I wanted to know. That's all." Kurt replied. Andrew was a bit more confused but shrugged it off. It wasn't his problem so he will just move on.

"So this new unit, you think they will be any good?" Andrew asked.

"They are a penal battalion. I am hoping they are but we just have to wait and see." Kurt replied. Andrew nodded and both men went to find a jeep to get into the encampment.

* * *

" _Finding a jeep around the base was a little hard. Judging by the looks, they were hesitant to even help us. I guess this "Nameless" squad was as bad as they say. We eventually found a jeep, after I 'persuaded' him to give it up. As we drove to the 422nd encampment, Kurt and I talked a bit. Turned out he came from a merchant family in the city and he was top of his class at Lanseal. It just made me more confused as to how he was reassigned to the Nameless but I didn't push that. We drove to the encampment and finally after a few hours and turns, we finally arrived and let's say it was what I expected of a penal battalion encampment." Andrew W. Vandegrift._

"So here we are. The 422nd encampment." Andrew said, stopping the jeep at the encampment. Kurt and Andrew got out and looked around. There were tents and trucks around the encampment. There was a truck that looked like a weapons truck as well as what looked like a makeshift shooting range. There was also a truck that appeared to carried a huge tank, the same one Andrew saw that one day. As both men looked around, they noticed a woman lifting some boxes.

"...and lift…" the girl said. Kurt saw her and approached her.

"You there…" Kurt began to say. The girl twirled around in surprise. Andrew recognized the girl from that one battle and was about to say hi but then he saw her face. Her face was what worried Andrew, because he saw she had a killing intent.

"Wha.." She then saw Kurt and Andrew and with a speed Andrew has rarely seen she went up to Kurt and pulled out a knife, pointing it at Kurt's throat.

 **Merry Christmas everyone! Since, its Christmas I decided to post this chapter for you all. I hope you like and I want to say sorry for not posting a chapter. Work has been hell and finals zapped the energy from me to write. The next chapter won't be out until after New Years so you guys will have to wait for awhile. i haven't given up on this story and will try my best to update more after the New Year. Once again, if you have any questions just PM me and I will answer back to you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone.**


	9. Update

Hey guys, sorry but an update for the story will be awhile. College and life has been getting to me and it has stalled my story. The story isn't dead. I have completed like 25% of the chapter but the new chapter should be finished by mid March. Again sorry guys.


	10. Chapter 8: A squad in disarray

**Note: I do not own** **Valkyria** **Chronicles, they are owned by Sega.**

Chapter 8

" _I have been in some tense situations before. Siege of Juno, the landings at Vladivostok, and the Battle for Vladivostok. Those battles got me on edge and my blood boiling. However, when I first met Riela that day when she held a knife to Kurt's neck, I felt a fear that I have never felt in a long time. It went through my spine and it gave me goosebumps. At that time, I didn't know who she really was and she emitted an aura of power and that scared me to my core. But I didn't show that fear to her, instead I had to react fast to deescalate the situation before thens got out of hand quick." Andrew W. Vandegrift._

"Ok, let's all just calm down here." Andrew said, holding both heads up, trying to calm the situation. The redhead woman continued to hold the knife close to Kurt's neck, pressing it slightly to his neck. All the while, Andrew's left hand slowly reached to the 1911 that was holstered on his hip.

The woman then noticed what she had done and pulled away from Kurt. She was shocked at what she did and then looked to Andrew and saw that his hand was now rested on his pistol. She immediately sheathed her knife.

"My apologies! It's just that you were behind me when you spoke, so I reacted by instinct…" The woman said, trying to remedy the situation. Before Kurt or Andrew can respond, a voice rang out.

"What is it, No.13?" All three of them looked to the voice and two people were approaching them. One of them was the man Andrew talked to before and following him was a young woman who looked ready for a fight. She wore armor over her chest, shoulders, left arm, and left leg. She had kneecaps and elbow pads, black military boots and she had a belt that was lined with what looked like mini rockets. All in all, this young woman was ready for combat and by the posture she had and the wary look on her face, she is probably the most experienced Andrew has seen minus him.

"I don't think they are enemies…" The young woman said. Andrew was a bit surprised by the girl's tone. Her voice was stiff, no emotion in her voice at all.

' _It's like she has no more emotion in her. Well, war does that to you.'_ Andrew thought to himself and it was then he noticed the girl's hair. She had her hair in a ponytail with a cloth tying it and the pattern on it was Darcsen origins. Along with her blue hair, it confirmed she was a Darcsen.

' _She must have seen hell if she is in this unit. Well, she is a Darcsen so I can only imagine what she went through.'_ Andrew thought to himself. He then noticed that she was staring at him and Andrew looked away. There was an uncomfortable silence between the group as no one was sure what to say. It was the man that Andrew met before that broke the silence amongst the group.

"No. 13, who are they?" He asked the red/white haired woman. The woman began to stutter since she also had no idea who the men were as well.

"They, uhh, they are…" Thirteen stuttered, unsure what to say. Kurt took this opportunity to speak for him and Andrew.

"My colleague and I were transferred to this squad today. Ku… No.7 and this is No.28." Kurt motioned to Andrew.

'Howdy." Andrew greeted with a smile, ignoring the blank expressions given to him.

'I'd like to speak to the captain." Kurt said, wanting to speak to the captain of this squad and get info on the situation with this squad. The three members of the squad were silent and the girl that threatened Kurt looked at the crowd. This caused Andrew to raise his eyebrows.

' _Did something happen?'_ Andrew thought to himself as he continued to observe the situation. In Kurt's head, he was thinking the same thing but with different wording.

" _Am I being ignored?'_ Kurt thought to himself as him and Andrew continued to wait for an answer from someone. Then the red/white haired girl began to back up, giving a nervous smile and still looking at the ground.

"Umm. I… I'm really sorry! Goodbye!" The girl said quickly before running away, heading to a group of tents. Kurt rubbed his head in annoyance.

' _What is wrong with this squad?'_ Kurt thought as he tried to collect his emotions about this squad. Andrew was also perplexed but not surprised.

' _This reminds me of my old squad back home but with less swearing.'_ Andrew thought as the Darcsen man said, "I didn't hear about any transfer today. Is there an emergency?"

"Well for me I volunteered for this so that is why I am here." Andrew answered. The Darcsen man was taken aback. Not many people would ever think about volunteer to fight with the 422 yet this man volunteered and without hesitation. He looked over to Kurt, who looked a bit more apprehensive.

'Well, I…" Kurt then grabbed the Darcsen man and led him away from Andrew and the other girl and explained his situation to the Darcsen man. While this was happening, Andrew took this time to try and engage in a conversation with the quiet girl.

"So, how long have you been in the unit?" Andrew asked, curious as to the reason why someone as young as her was doing in a penal unit.

"..." The girl was silent, then just turned to leave. Andrew wasn't taken aback about this, the girl has a reason to leave but he called out to her.

'Hey, I know that look you have. For the record, whatever you are thinking in that head of yours it isn't worth it." The girl stopped briefly and turned her head slightly to glare at the man before continuing on her way.

Meanwhile Kurt was just finishing up his explanation of his situation, "... and so in the end, I was transferred here.'

"Well, there are plenty of people here on groundless charges, and some not even for something as bad as treason." Kurt was caught off guard from that. He assumed that this unit consisted of criminals that committed crimes just as bad as treason but to find out that that wasn't the case surprised him.

'Seriously?!" Kurt asked. The Darcsen man smiled at Kurt's question.

"That's why I'm here. I'm No. 6. It's nice to meet you No.7." Six said, extending his hand. Kurt took his hand and shook it.

"I'm glad to meet you too. I am to deliver these orders from command to your squad leader as soon as possible." Kurt said, pulling out a piece of paper and handing it to Six. Six looked at the piece of paper and then back at Kurt.

"Our captain just died in the last battle. You said you're a second lieutenant?" Six asked. Kurt nodded his head.

"Perfect. The why don't you take command?" Six suggested. Kurt recoiled a bit in surprise.

"Sounds like a great idea." Andrew's voice rang out as he approached the pair, "You are perfect for the job."

"Me?" Kurt said.

"There are no other officers here and you have the highest rank. Do you have combat experience?" Six asked.

"I've fought in two battles. But I think And- I mean 28 here should be in command. He has more combat experience than me." Kurt said, pointing out Andrew's combat experience.

"One, I am not technically in this military and as a result of that I can not take command. Second, I believe you will a lot better to command. Trust me, you are ready for that task." Andrew answered, not wanting to lead another squad. Six nodded in agreement.

"Then there shouldn't be a problem then, " Six opened the piece of paper, "Let me see these orders. The mission… it's today!" All of them were shocked. If the mission was today, then they wasted enough time as it is. Kurt took a moment to recover and then smiled a bit.

"It looks like we don't have time to dawdle. Fine, I'll take command." He then looked at Andrew, "But you are going to be my second in command. It would be great to have you input in planning out strategy in the future."

"Sure, why not?" Andrew answered with a smile on his face. Six looked at both of them and had a feeling that the squad's luck might just turn.

"You both will be perfect. Please do take command." Both men looked at Six and nodded.

* * *

"I was transferred today by HQ. I am No. 7, and this is my second in command No. 28. Nice to meet you all."Kurt said, introducing himself to the rest of the squad. Kurt, Andrew, and Six had gathered the entire squad to the command truck to brief everyone on today's mission and by the look on some of their faces, they didn't know what to think about their new commander as well as their other new member.

"Hey, everyone. Nice to meet you all." Andrew said. There was a silence amongst the group, some of them eyeing both men trying to see what the deal was. Six cleared his throat and spoke.

"No.7 is a 2nd Lt."

"An officer?" One of the soldiers asked. He was wearing what seems to be the standard uniform for this unit, black jacket and pants with a white undershirt with armor plates on his arms and knees. He also had leather cover parts of his uniform and he was a bit more darkened than the rest of the unit, signaling that he might be from the Barious Desert area.

"Yes he is an officer." Andrew answered. The man looked at him and narrowed his eyes.

' _This one looks like he doesn't like he takes orders easily. Might be a bit of a problem but I dealt with these types before.'_ Andrew thought to himself as he continued to scan the group.

"These are our orders from HQ. Everyone listen up!" Kurt then pulled out a map as everyone gathered around the map. Kurt then pointed at the town marked "Vasel".

"Within 24 hours, we are to enter the town of Vasel and eliminate all enemy reconnaissance forces. Furthermore, as the Regular Army is currently engaged with the enemy's main forces, they'll be unable to provide support to us. They're relying on us for a quick and decisive victory… that is all." Kurt said, finishing the briefing. Everyone was quiet, many of them thinking the same thing.

"Another 'suicide mission'..." Another member of the squad said. This time it was a little girl with neck-length hair that was too young to be on the battlefield and her military uniform resembled that of a school uniform.

"Why's it always us? Tch." Another member commented. He was a Darcsen that wore chainmail armor over his uniform, probably for added protection along with some extra armor hinting he is probably the squad's heavy support expert.

"Um… can I ask a question?" A girl with short blond hair asked. She was wearing a tracksuit with her uniform, which had its sleeves cut off. An old lady, who was apparently part of this unit, stopped her.

"Forget it. You're better off keeping your mouth shut." The old lady said, "As long as you don't say anything that boy won't either… ha-ha."

"Ah, the never mind." The girl with the question said. This caused Andrew to raise his eyebrows.

' _This is an unusual unit. Then again it is a penal unit so I guess weirdness comes with the unit.'_ Andrew thought to himself.

"Anyone else?" Kurt asked.

"Hehe." A woman giggled and her uniform caught Andrew's attention. Her uniform was similar to that of a french maid but she had a corset on over her uniform and she had some nice "assets" that were enhanced by the corset which caused Andrew to blush and look away. Andrew looked towards the one girl that he recognized as the unique girl and noticed she had a determined look on her face. He looked around and saw that Darcsen girl also had a determined look on her face.

"Then everyone, prepare to move out. And follow my orders in battle!" Kurt said and the group dispersed. Andrew made his way to Kurt.

"You shouldn't have said that." Kurt looked at him confused.

"Shouldn't said what?"

"Follow my orders in battle. Soldiers already know to follow orders in battle and from the looks I saw many of them probably have a hard time taking orders. Especially from a new commander, they will be a bit apprehensive in following a new commander, especially one who doesn't know them at all." Kurt thought about that for a bit.

"You think they won't follow my orders?" Kurt asked.

"I am not saying that. I am just saying, be ready for some disappointment. From my experience, this can be bad real quick."

* * *

Kurt and Andrew were currently at the command post and waiting on a report from their scout. Kurt had sent No. 13 out to recon the area where the German reconnaissance unit was. Gallian intelligence stated that the recon unit was probably split in two groups but they needed to be sure. Kurt was looking over the map while Andrew was sharpening his Bowie knife when the radio came to life.

"This is No. 13 with a status report. The Germans are currently camped down and resting. From their equipment, it is the recon unit." Andrew put his knife down and picked up the receiver.

'No. 13 this is No. 28, is the recon unit at both locations that intel stated?" Andrew asked.

"Yes, they are at both locations." Thirteen reported.

'Well, at least the boys at intelligence wasn't wrong for once." Andrew said. In his experience, the intelligence reports were always taken with a grain of salt since most cases, intel tends to be wrong. This time, the intel was good. Kurt took the receiver from Andrew and put it near his mouth to respond.

"Roger Return to base." Kurt said.

"Sir!" And then the line went dead.

'Well, since this is a small recon unit should be an easy fight for us." Andrew said. Kurt nodded his head in agreement.

"We will do an easy flanking maneuver. One team would take the enemy units near the windmill here," Kurt pointed on the map, " While the second team will flank the other unit here near these two bridges."

"Sounds good. Let's get this show on the road." Andrew said. Kurt pressed the transmit button on the receiver.

"No. 6, has the squad been deployed?" Kurt asked. There was a brief pause before he got a reply.

"This is No.6 I think it's best you come to the front yourself. It'll be faster to give us orders." Six responded.

"Makes sense. A commander should always be at the front, leading his men." Andrew commented. Kurt thought about it then answered.

"Fine then. I'm headed your way." Kurt then went to grab M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, or B.A.R. The U.S sent the Gallians hundreds of these and thanks to Andrew's smooth talking with the supplies officer back at the fort before they left, he was able to get Kurt one. Andrew readied his Cei-Rigotti and both men then hopped into a jeep and made their way to the staging area where their squad was suppose to be.

* * *

" _I had a feeling before that battle that something was going to happen. It is a sixth sense that I had that can sense something is off. Also I noticed that the group during the briefing was a bit more hesitant to follow Kurt's orders. When we got to the staging area, my worries were confirmed." Andrew W. Vandegrift._

"What's this? What's going on here?!" Kurt exclaimed, surprised with what he was seeing before him. What was supposed to be a staging area, it was stripped of all the tents or weapons it was suppose to have except for one tank. Also instead of seeing the whole squad there, Kurt and Andrew only saw Six and Thirteen.

"It's as you see." Six answered. Thirteen also chimed in.

"When I came back, all that was left was the tank." Thirteen reported. Kurt was in a state of shock. He couldn't believe this was actually happening. That shocked soon turned to rage.

"Besides, No. 13 where is everyone else? Why wasn't I informed about everyone's status?!" Kurt yelled, his anger getting more and more worse.

"There is still one other person. No.1 is here." Six said, pointing to the the girl who was looking out towards the enemy. Kurt, wanting an explanation, demanded an answer from One.

"No.1, where is has everyone gone when we're so close to the enemy?! This was not part of the plan!" The girl was silent, not giving an answer to Kurt, who was getting more angry by the minute.

"I know you're angry, but now is not the time to complain," Six explained, "The enemy will be moving soon. If we don't act now, they'll get away. What are your orders?" Kurt was now beyond rage, he was furious.

Meanwhile, Andrew remained quiet. He knew something would happen but this was a bit too much even for him. He remembered from his time fighting the Soviets, new Lts coming in and acting like they owned the place to have that backfire on them as their men do not show them any respect. It happened in this case as well and Andrew decided to just observe to see what Kurt will do next.

' _Let's see how the top student from Lanseal will handle this example of Murphy's Law.'_ Andrew thought, remembering Murphy's Law in that no plan survives first contact with the enemy.

"This is unbelievable! GRAHHHHH!" Kurt screamed and then did something that caught everyone there minus No.1 off guard. He pulled out a jar of candy from his pack then started eating the candy. This caused everyone around him to just gawk at him.

"Huh?!" Thirteen exclaimed, confused as to what was going on.

"What's up No.7?" Six asked, concerned that the new officer has con insane.

"You ok there sir?" Andrew asked, thinking Kurt has finally gone crazy.

"Just give me a minute…" Kurt answered, continuing to chop on the hard candy. This went on for a few more minutes with the rest of the squad just looking at him with perplexed looks. Finally, Kurt stopped and took a deep breath.

"Ok, I have a new plan." Kurt said. He pulled out a map and everyone gathered around to look at the map. No.1 was the only one that didn't come over and just stayed where she was.

"The plan must change. With the number we have, we can't surround and eliminate the enemy. No.13 and I will head around to the right flank and wait. No.1, 28, and the tank will head to the left flank and attack." Kurt said. Everyone was surprised. They were going to take on a German recon unit, armed with a light tank and around twelve men. Even with a heavy tank, there will only be four infantry units to fight off a platoon. That sounded like a suicide mission.

"That's it?" Six asked, not believing that this was the plan.

"This is a reconnaissance unit. Their objective is to escape and return with intelligence. They will want to avoid battle and flee to the right flank and there…" Andrew finished his sentence.

"We can ambush them and wipe them out before they reach their main camp." Andrew concluded. Andrew liked this idea. By forcing the recon unit to fall back to the right flank, the single tank along with Andrew and No.1 should be able to to eliminate the remaining elements of the scouting unit. However, Six was not convinced.

"Will this really work?" Six asked. He was sceptical about this plan. They were outnumbered and facing some of the most experienced troops in the German military.

"If you're commanding a small unit in enemy territory, wouldn't you flee in the direction towards your allies?" Kurt asked with a smirk on his face.

"Hm… I guess you're right." Six said, still a bit unsure but trusts Kurt. Kurt then began issuing orders.

'I don't want to give the enemy anymore time. Begin the operation now!"

 **So it's been awhile everyone. Sorry for this chapter being posted late. College and life hit hard these past months so it delayed the posting of the chapter. Anyway, hope you guys like the chapter and I will try from now on to post chapters on a more regular basis. As always, if you guys have any question feel free to PM me. See you all later**


	11. Chapter 9:First blood with the Nameless

**A/N: I do not own Valkyria Chronicles. It is owned by Sega,**

Chapter 9: First blood with the Nameless

It was a sunny day in Vasel. Since the German occupation of the town, most of the civilians have left the town, fearing for the upcoming battle between the Gallians and the Germans. Their fear would turn out to be true when word had gotten to them that a German platoon that was suppose to ambush the Gallian forces was defeated as well as there was significant damage to a farmhouse that the Germans were using as their ambush spot as well as a small outpost. Since then, German High Command has taken this threat a bit more seriously than before and have sent out small scouting parties to the outskirts of Vasel to predict where the Gallians will attack from next. With the Gallians already in the town, the German command in the city don't want more Gallians entering.

A particular scout unit was stationed near a windmill with their main camp near a couple of house near the a small river. This scout unit was tasked as an early warning station, where if they see any Gallian forces approaching then they would call it in and alert German command. However, unknown to the german soldiers of the scout unit, who are currently milling around, there was trouble heading to them. Near the windmill, Kurt and No.13 were crawling towards the Germans, getting into position to attack. Despite Kurt's initial thinking of his new squad, he had to admit to himself that No.13 can handle herself, following him to the attack point and how she has followed his orders up to this point compared to the others. They reached the edge of the tall grass and observed the enemy. These German scouts were lightly armed, basically had their personal arms of Kar98ks and MP40s. There was also a machine gun nest near a farmhouse and that would have to be their first target.

"No.13, you are going to have to take out that machine gun in the farmhouse first. I will take that sniper in the windmill. Then engage while the enemy is confused, we will engage from btoh sides and crush them." Kurt said, nodding towards to the sniper in the windmill.

"Roger." Thirteen replied.

"Ok, head to your position and wait for my command." Kurt said. Thirteen nodded and made her way to her position. She had to crawl through the tall grass then sneak to her attack position. After a few minutes, she reported back to Kurt.

"I am in position."

'Roger that," Kurt then switched to the other team, "We are in position, No. 6, proceed on with the plan."

"Understood." Six acknowledged.

"No. 13 are you ready? The plan is to not to let a single one of them escape." Kurt said, looking over to the area where Thirteen was suppose to be. Thirteen was already in position, behind a small shack, and gave him a thumbs up.

"Y-Yes, it will be fine as long as none of them get away, right?" Thirteen asked, just wanting to make sure of the plan.

"Exactly, we need to protect the information of our army from the Imperial camps. No. 1, in the event that they turn your direction, we will be depending on you." Kurt said. No doubt that the scouting unit had some information regarding troop movements of the Gallian military into Vasel. The Gallian military was hell bent on retaking the town so it was a guarantee that their was a small leak of troop movements and these troops probably knew about it. Kurt wanted to make sure that no German soldier would get past them and No.1 was going to have to deal with them. However, No.1's response caught Kurt off-guard.

"No." Kurt was shocked a bit before recovering and asking One to explain.

"What?" Kurt asked.

"... I don't care." No.1 responded. Kurt was now really confused.

"What is going on? No.6, what's wrong with No.1?!" Kurt asked, wanting to understand what No.1 was talking about.

"Don't worry yourself. No.1 won't let anyone escape. If anything, you should be more worried about yourself." No.6 replied.

'He has a point No.7, you and No.3 should be a bit more worried about your position. We got this end just fine." Andrew chimed in, trying to quell Kurt before he goes into another anger tantrum.

Kurt said nothing but thought to himself, ' _What the hell is wrong with this squad!'_ He wanted and then heard an explosion. Most likely that No.6 and the others have started their attack. The German scouts heard this as well and were scrambling to gather their belongs and to help their fellow soldiers. One of the soldiers had a radio on his back and was getting ready to transmit a message. Kurt saw this and took aim with his M4 rifle. He took aim at the man's chest pulled the trigger, hitting the man and being the battle on their side.

* * *

 **Andrew' POV**

I fired my rifle at a German that was stupid enough to expose himself. The bullet hit his shoulder and he went down screaming. I waited until another soldier went to go help him and fired 5 more rounds. It hit both men in the chest and they both went down. Then bullets began zipping over my head and I ducked behind a pile of sandbags on the small bridge that connected one side of the bank to the village. The Germans were shooting from one of the two houses on the other side of the bank while a machine gunner was firing from a tower. After the initial attack, No.1 basically destroying the light tank by getting behind it and firing a rocket out of her insanely large gun, the Germans were caught off guard and it was enough for No.6 to fire the tank's cannon and destroy their small command post which was in one of the houses. That meant they can't call for help or report us but now they were more focused on killing us and since I am the only one not in a tank or have a huge gun that can kill anything and everything, the Germans decided to focus their fire on me. While some of them try and deal with No.1, I was dealing with a squad myself. I pulled out my radio and got No.6 on the line.

"Six, I need you to take out that machine gunner in the tower. He is pinning me down." I said through the radio. A minute goes by before a response got back to me.

"I can take it out but you would still have to deal with the Germans in the house." I looked over to said house and came up with an idea.

"After you destroy the tower, use your machine gun and fire at the house to keep their heads down. I will move up and when you see me close to the building, stop firing and I will handle the rest." I answered. I got no reply back but I saw that the tank's turret move to face the tower. The Germans clearly saw this and one of them in the house pulled out a Panzerfaust and aimed it at Six. I saw this and aimed the rifle. I pulled the trigger twice and two rounds hit him in the neck and he went down. Then behind me the tank fired its cannon, a loud boom causing my ears to ring. As I looked over the sandbags, I saw the tower get completely demolished and the soldier manning it flew as if he was picked up and thrown. The tank then aimed it's turret at the house that the Germans were using as cover and fired it's coaxial machine gun at the house. I took this opportunity and began to run. I made it to another pile of sandbags as the tank's machine gun fell silent, probably to reload. I waited until Six fired again and made my way to another pile of sandbags that was closer to the house. Then I pulled from my belt one of the German's stick grenades that I kept from looting the dead Germans from the earlier battle of Vasel. I twisted the bottom until it came off. I pulled the string attached to prime the grenade and then threw it into the house. Waiting for a few seconds, the grenade exploded and I saw a German soldier fly out of the house. I then got up and ran into the house. I saw that the grenade also took out three more Germans and then I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I looked over and saw a German soldier armed with a MP40. We both made eye contact and noticed it was a woman.

"Hey sweetheart, sorry about this." I said before firing my rifle from the hip on full-auto. The thing that I loved about the Cei-Rigotti was that it had a full-auto feature which allowed me to just squeeze the trigger and bullets would just keeping coming out. I hit her with 5 bullets to the chest before she crumbled to the ground. I heard more machine gun fire upstairs and went upstairs. I round around the corner and the next thing I knew was a bullet hitting close to my head and the click-clack of a bolt of a Kar98K being pulled and chambering a round. I shouldered my rifle and then pulled out my 1911. I rushed up the stairs as another round was shot but it barely missed my shoulder. I took this time and emptied my mag into the German soldier. The soldier dropped to the ground dead and I could still hear the MG42 firing. I holstered my pistol and pulled out the rigotti. I slowly walked the bedroom that the gunfire was coming from and saw a lone German soldier firing the MG42, probably at One. I pulled out my knife and then went behind the soldier and covered his mouth and stabbed him in the chest multiple times. He struggled until finally he remained stilled. I threw the body aside and went over to check the 42.

 **End of POV**

Andrew got the MG42 and was about to help One when he saw how she was doing and can only stare in awe. No.1 seemed to be doing just fine, in fact she was doing more than just fine, she was doing exceptional. She was doing extremely well, and it was due to her fighting ability as well as her large weapon. It looked like it was a cross between a machine gun, rocket launcher, and a sword. As Andrew observed, she was use her rocket launcher to fire a rocket into some cover that the Germans were using as cover then move up with her machine gun, firing at the Germans and taking some down, and finally use her huge sword to cut down any German left. She continued to do this and Andrew watched until a voice in the radio called out to him.

"Twenty-Eight, this is Six. It seems like we have secured the bridge and the houses since I don't see any Germans left. How is One doing?" Six asked over the radio.

'Seems like she is doing just fine. I am coming down to meet you." Andrew replied as he picked up the MG42 and walked down the stairs and went outside. Outside, he saw Six up in his commander cupola and was looking around with a MP40 in his hands just to make sure that he doesn't get surprised by a German.

"Seems like you got this place secured." Andrew said, approaching the tank.

"There wasn't that many Germans than I thought there would be." Six commented. Andrew climbed the tank and placed the MG42 on the tank.

'I am not surprised. I looked at one of the collars of the dead Krauts and it looks like they are Panzerfüsiliers." Andrew said, taking out a canteen and taking a drink from it.

"Panzerfüsiliers?" Six asked.

"They are light infantry. Great for scouting and they are good at engaging at long range. I heard about them, just never knew I would met them in battle." Andrew replied, not wanting to release information about him being a mercenary and having fought with the Germans on different occasions.

Six just shrugged and asked, "How do you think No. 7 and 13 are doing."

'Well, I don't know about Thirteen but with Seven, I think they should be wrapping up just about now."

* * *

Kurt slide into cover as another wave of bullets went his way. So far, the plan has gone according as planned. Him and Thirteen were able to take out half of the Germans and now Kurt has run into a situation. The remaining Germans have housed themselves in a farmhouse and have set up a MG42 in one of the windows and are firing at Kurt. Kurt peeked over the sandbags to try and figure out how to deal with this situation. He then noticed that Thirteen had already reached the house and was leaning against the wall. Kurt then motioned hand signals to her what to do next.

' _Get behind the house and enter from the back door. Then take out that machine gun.'_ Kurt signaled to her. She nodded her head and went to the back of the house. Thirteen saw the back door and opened it slowly. She noticed a tripwire on the ground, no doubt it was connected to a mine. She knelt down and cut the wire with her knife. After that she entered the house and checked the bottom floor, no enemies. She then made her way upstairs where the MG42 was and once she reached the top, she located the MG42, which was inside a bedroom that once belonged to a little girl. She silently approached the machinegun crew and in quick succession, fired two shots at them with her rifle. They both collapse to the floor and she was about to call the all clear until she heard footsteps behind her. She waited for a bit then turned around to face the person. She was then greeted by a German officer who had pulled a Luger pistol and was aiming it at her. She reacted quickly, she rushed the office rand slammed him to the wall. The German officer dropped his pistol and then grabbed her rifle to try and wrestle it out of her hands. The two struggled to take control of the rifle and eventually the German officer was able to push Thirteen down and held her there. Meanwhile he tried to reach into his holster and pull out his pistol. Thirteen noticed this and began to worry. She had to do something fast or else she was as good as dead. Then a shot rang out. Thirteen went wide-eyed, thinking the German officer shot her but the officer collapsed on her. She pushed him off and noticed the bullet wound into the man's back. She looked up and saw Seven standing at the doorway, his rifle's barrel projecting a small smoke from the shot he made.

"Are you ok Thirteen?" Kurt asked as he shouldered his rifle and extended his hand to help Thirteen up. Thirteen cheeks were flushed a bit before taking his hand.

' _He came to back me up.'_ Thirteen thought as she got up and picked up her rifle.

"All the hostiles in this area are cleared. Let's check up on the others." Kurt said, taking out his radio and calling Six.

'Six, this is Seven. Is everything clear on your end?"

"Seven, this is Six. Everything is all clear here. There are no more enemies in this area." Six reported back.

"Roger. Let's return to base now. Mission accomplished." Kurt replied. He then turned to Thirteen.

'Let's head back." Kurt said. Thirteen nodded. They both headed back to camp, meanwhile Thirteen was thinking, ' _His plan went smoothly. And he saved my life, he is an amazing man.'_ After she thought that, she blushed again and Kurt noticed.

' _I wonder what she is thinking?'_ Kurt thought.

* * *

Back at camp, the Kurt and the rest of the squad that partaken on the mission were taking a brief pause to relax. Some of them couldn't believe that their mission went smoothly. Usually, someone would have gotten seriously hurt or in worse cases die. However, no one was hurt and not only that, they were able to defeat a superior enemy force and get away with so much as a scratch. One of the people surprised by this was Six.

"I certainly didn't expect it to go this well.. What are you exactly, No. 7?" Six asked.

"A man that has committed treason and exiled by his own country, I guess." Kurt replied bitterly.

"You have good reason to be angry, and I have my own reasons for apologising to you. I am sorry." Six replied, surprising Kurt.

"What exactly do you mean?"

"I pushed the position of command onto you. No one would want to be in command of a ragtag band like us." Six responded. Kurt nodded.

"I should say I understand your point." Six then thought for a minute then asked.

"Tell me one thing though, why did you decide to fight even when down to 4 men?" Kurt thought about this for a minute before answering.

"Perhaps I should return you a question as well, how can you choose to not fight?" Six was surprised by the question. Seeing as he won't get an answer, Kurt continued on.

"Why would you not try for the best possible outcome. Running away.. what would that give you?" Kurt said, which really surprised Six. Normally, when facing against incredible odds the best plan would be to fall back and asses the situation. However, with what Kurt is saying is that there is always a good solution to impossible odds, and retreating should never be the first thought.

"When a puzzle is presented to you as such, would you not want to solve it to see what it brings? I don't think fleeing ever gives anyone an answer." Kurt concluded. Six just stared at him, then began to laugh. Kurt was a bit confused by this and then he heard a chuckle and turned to see Andrew chuckling as well.

"Kid, you have one hell of a thinking there. Just… Wow." Andrew said. Six nodded his head in agreement.

"..7, you're something else!" Six said, recovering from laughing. Kurt just wore a perplexed looked on his face.

"Is that strange?" Kurt asked.

"No, you are not. Trust me you are far from being strange." Andrew said.

"You're not the one that is strange. 7, I'd like to fight under your command. I am No. 6, Gusurg, a pleasure to meet you." Gusurg said, extending his hand to shake Kurt's hand. Kurt was a bit surprised by Gusurg telling him his name but regardless took his hand and shook it.

"A.. name? I was told the Nameless only gave out their numbers." Kurt asked.

"That's the official rule, but within the squad, real names are given out to people that we acknowledge and respect. That's sort of how we do things here, and you should remember that." Gusurg said with a small smile on his face.

"I understand. I am Kurt Irving, pleased to meet you, Gusurg." Kurt said. Andrew approached the two and extended his hand to Gusurg, who also shook his hand.

"Names Andrew. Pleasure to meet you again." Andrew said with a smile.

"I must admit, I never thought I would see you again after that day." Gusurg said. Andrew laughed.

'Well, I never assumed that I would volunteer for a penal company myself." Andrew said laughing. Kurt just looked over this with a small smile until a small voice called to him.

"Hey, 7.." Kurt turned around and saw Thirteen, fidgeting a bit for reasons Kurt can not understand.

"What's the matter, 13?" Kurt asked. Thirteen hesitated a bit, nervous about what to say next but then with a burst of energy shouted her answer.

"Nothing! Just wanted to say that your command was great! That's all!" Then she ran off. Kurt was confused at this behaviour.

' _She called me by my number, I guess I'm not good enough yet..'_ Kurt thought to himself.

"Well, seems like you impressed someone." Andrew commented, patting Kurt on the back.

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked. Andrew just looked at him and shook his head and laughed. This confused Kurt even more and then he noticed No.1. She was silent throughout the whole thing and just looked at the pair and then just walked off.

"Ace is ignoring me still, this squad's full of problems.. But nothing's going to stop me from getting my name back and returning to the army!" Kurt said.

"Kid, relax. All in time, right now focus on making sure that everyone in this squad can get back home alive." Andrew commented. Kurt didn't reply and Andrew could just sigh.

" _Kurt at that time was too focused on getting back to the regular army. He was still inexperienced to really be more focused in getting his men and women alive. However, what was going to happen later would solidify this thinking for him" Andrew W. Vandegrift._

* * *

It was later in the day that Kurt and Andrew were walking to a Gallian supply depot to go check up on supply shipments meant for them. Since they were a penal unit and the fact that they are operating well behind enemy lines, they were going to need all the supplies they can. As they were making their way to the supply depot, which was a farmhouse, Kurt was discussing with Andrew about the recent battle.

"I certainly did not expect my squad to disobey my orders though.. Such a thing would be unthinkable in the formal army. I need to fix this somehow, or it would be impossible to fight in the future, what can I do?" Kurt asked Andrew. Andrew, who was chewing on gum shrugged.

"The only thing I can think of is just keeping fighting. Soldiers won't really respect a new officer unless if they know the officer well. You just have to keep showing them that you can get them home alive and eventually they will trust you." Andrew said. Both men reached the supply depot, and while Kurt was talking to the supply officer while Andrew waited outside, thinking about what had just happened. Normally engaging a larger force with only five people is close to suicide. Add on the fact that they engaged Panzerfusiliers, who are considered to be the premier light infantry, and won really amazed Andrew.

"My old unit would probably survive those odds but then again, we did survive numerous Soviet charges." Andrew told himself and shuddered. Surviving hundreds of Soviets running at you while firing is a big feat, to survive multiple charges is something that usually make someone a legend. Andrew was one of the few to survive not only Soviet charges but even pushing them back as well, and Andrew would prefer to face them than the German army.

' _At least with the Soviets, they don't have much sense with tactics regarding their own infantry and tanks.'_ Andrew thought to himself. He was still waiting for Kurt when a voice rang out.

"Well, look who it is." Andrew turned and saw a group of Regular Army troops. Andrew recognized them to be Kurt's old unit.

"What the hell do you want?" Andrew asked, not wanting to talk to them, especially the one who called out to him since it was the soldier who didn't trust Andrew and was slowly getting on Andrew's nerve.

"I never thought Kurt would sink as low as becoming a Nameless. Though it was only a matter of time before you would become one Yankee." Andrew gritted his teeth and was about to punch the smug look off this guy's face if he didn't hear Kurt's voice.

"You are…" Kurt asked as he approached Andrew. He was the confrontation from inside the depot and came out to try to defuse the situation.

"Thank you for everything you've done for us." The man replied. Both Kurt and Andrew were a bit confused.

"Done for you? What do you mean?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, what the fuck did we do for you?" Andrew said, getting more annoyed with the guy.

"Annihilating the enemy for us. All the credit is going to the Regular army." The main replied. Both Andrew and Kurt went wide-eyed.

"That's just how the way it is. It's the only way to improve the Regular Army's morale." Both Andrew and Kurt didn't know what to say. They fought hard to take out that recon unit and now to find out they are not getting credit for it was unheard of. Andrew stepped forward and clenched his fist.

"Listen hear you little shit-" Andrew felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Kurt shaking his head. Andrew closed his eyes, shaking with anger until he finally stepped down. The Regular Army soldier smirked.

"Keep working hard you pieces of trash!" The man stated before turning around and began to walk away with his companions. However, to the surprise of Andrew, Kurt responded back.

"There is no such thing as trash on the battlefield." The Regular army soldiers stopped and turned around.

"What did you say?" One of them asked, clearly angry that Kurt had said something to them. Kurt was unfazed and continued.

"Right now, Gallia has a severe shortage of troops, nothing can be thrown away." Kurt said.

'What?!" The Regular Army soldier said. Andrew was now getting ready for a fight, noticing the man was getting pissed off.

"So before you you call others trash, think about yourself and your responsibilities first." Kurt responded. The Regular Army soldier now was really pissed off.

"You bastard! How dare you address an officer of the Regular Army that way!" The without warning the officer punched Kurt square in the face. The punch was strong enough the throw Kurt back a few feet and Kurt landed face first into the ground.

"You're even lower than a Nameless!" The officer said. He then turned around and was walking away with his friends when he felt a strong arm on his shoulder. He turned and saw a fist heading to him. Andrew, in pure rage, punched the officer. The officer fell to the ground and Andrew then went on to continue to punch him in the face. The two other Regular soldiers pulled Andrew off but Andrew then turned the tables and elbowed both men in the nuts. Both men went down in pain and Andrew went to the officer and continued to punch him for a few more minutes until the officer had a broken nose and had blood all over his face. Andrew then grabbed the cuff of the officer's uniform and brought his face close to his.

"I ever see your fucking face again, I swear I will fucking gut your ass. I have met Soviets who have more honor than you and that is saying a lot." Andrew said before throwing him to the ground and then kicked the officer. Andrew made his way to Kurt who had stayed laying on the ground. Andrew just looked at Kurt with a sense of pity. Kurt was a good officer, hell maybe even better than most Regular Army officers, and it was just bad luck that he winded up in a penal unit. Andrew extended his hand to Kurt.

'C'mon. We got to go or else the MPs will have our asses." Andrew turned around and saw that more Regular soldiers were coming and helping out the three men who Andrew beat up. Kurt took Andrew's hand and Andrew helped him up. The two then began to walk back the the Nameless. Kurt didn't say anything until they were pretty far away until he finally said, "My name is Kurt Irving! I will restore my name without fail." Andrew looked over at Kurt and then had a small smile.

'Well, first let's get that squad to trust you. Then we can make that fucker eat his fucking words." Andrew said, throwing an arm around Kurt. Kurt looked at Andrew and then had a small smile on his face as well.

" _I felt bad for Kurt. He wasn't a bad officer at all, just was unlucky. At that moment, I vowed to help him get his name restored. At that time, I didn't know that vow was going to turn into an adventure that I would never forget. How could I? After all, there was a war going on." Andrew W. Vandegrift._

 **The Nameless' first battle has ended. However, the war is going to take an unexpected turn along and the Nameless are going to face a tough fight ahead of them. As usual, PM if you have any questions about the story or characters. See you all later.**


	12. Chapter 10: A Changing War

**A/N: I do not own Valkyria Chronicles, they are owned by Sega. Also Maho and Erica are characters from the anime Girls und Panzer they belong to Actas. The OCs are of my own creation.**

Chapter 10: A changing War

"Gallian light tank! Front! AP!" Claus yelled to Erica. Erica loaded an AP round into the Panzer Iv's main gun.

"AP loaded!" Erica yelled.

"Fire!" The 75mm cannon fired, filling the tank with the smell of gunpowder and smoke. The tank round sailed through the air and hit the Gallian light tank in between the turret and the hull. This AP round breached through the tank and ignited the ammunition of the tank. The Gallian light tank exploded, the turret being blown into the air by twenty feet before landing fifteen feet away.

"Good shot Maho." Claus said. Before Claus could locate another target, he saw a Gallian Lancer take a knee and aimed right at him.

"Johann. Reverse now!" Johann worked the controls and then the Panzer IV began to go in reverse. The Lancer fired his lance and the rocket missed the tank, thanks to the tank reversing in time. The rocket hit a building and the resulting debris littered the streets.

"Maho, enemy anti-tank man! Use the coaxial!" Claus yelled. Maho traversed the turret and switched to coaxial. She fired a burst with the coaxial and soon the Gallian Lancer was on the ground, a pool of blood forming.

"Nice shot, Maho." The Claus began to hear something through his radio piece.

"All units, retreat. Gallian forces have taken out our encampment near the bridge. The Gallians have now outnumbered us. All units are to retreat out of the city immediately!" Claus couldn't believe his ears.

"Josef, contact headquarters now!" It took Josef two minutes before he replied back.

'I am not getting sir. It seems like communications have been cut." Claus let that information sink a bit. If they can't contact headquarters then that means that…

"Johann, get us out of here now!" Claus said. The tank began to reverse. Erica then loaded a smoke round into the breach and Maho fired the round. It hit the street a few feet away from them. It provided good cover for them to make it out of the city. As the tank began to leave the city, Claus just couldn't believe how things turned out in Vasel. After their failed attempt to take out the Gallian vanguard, they had fallen back and reinforced their positions in the city. The Gallians attacked and somehow they were able to take back half of the city. The German forces fell back to the other side of the bridge and raised the bridge, preventing the Gallian forces from crossing the bridge. The Germans thought it would prevent the Gallians from crossing but in some weird case, a Gallian tank "swam" through the river and took out most of the regiment by raising the bridge as the regiment was crossing for the counterattack. Now the Germans were outgunned and had to evacuate the city before they are wiped out. Claus and his crew were able to make it to the outskirts of the city and along the way the crew picked up surviving members of the garrison at Vasel. They made it to a village, 15 miles west of Vasel. The Panzer IV made it to an assembly area and as the troops got off, thanking the crew for the ride, Claus collapsed in his seat and took off his head set.

"We somehow made it out of that place alive." Maho exclaimed, closing her eyes and taking some deep breathes.

"How were the Gallians able to cross the river so easily?" Erica asked, still not believing that they had lost to the gallians. Claus looked around and saw that his entire crew's morale was shot. They were made to believe that they were invincible and that nothing could stop them. Now they were pushed back from Vasel and had suffered their first defeat. This of course hit morale.

"I don't know. However, we can't let this defeat bring us down. Remember, you are all are part of the Wehrmacht. We are the best, let the Gallians have their small victory. We will get them soon enough." This seemed to boost their morale a bit. Then there was a clanging on the hull. Claus, curious, opened his hatch and looked around and noticed a panzergrenadier standing to the side of the tank. He had a bloody bandage over his right eye, probably due to the fighting from Vasel.

"The oberstleutnant is asking for a meeting with all surviving officers in the command tent." Claus nodded.

"Alright, I will be there in five minutes." The Panzergrenadier nodded before heading off to spread the word. Claus dropped back into the tank.

"Alright, i have to go to an officer's meeting. Maho, you and Erica take stock of how much ammunition we have left and see if we can resupply here. Josef, Johann, I need both of you to check the treads and engine. Make sure nothing was too damaged from the battle and get us refueled. We might be deploying soon." Everyone acknowledged and Claus climbed out of the tank and followed the panzergrenadier to the command tent.

Upon reaching the tent, Claus looked around and was shocked to see that only a few officers were there compared to before the battle. Many of them had bandages on them, indicating wounds while others did not have any visible wounds but Claus can tell that their morale and pride was hurt. Claus then saw Walther and walked up to him. Walther wasn't that beat up but he was still in shock about the battle. Walther saw Claus and a small smile appeared.

"Good to see you making it out." Walther said, extending his hand. Claus grabbed his hand and shook it.

"How many made it out?" Claus asked.

"I think we lost about 50% of our forces were either killed or captured. I heard we might be heading to the rear to refit and get some replacements." Claus took that into consideration. He knows that a huge part of the regiment was taken out when the bridge was raised but he didn't think it was that bad. Then the oberstleutnant walked in and everyone went to attention.

"At ease everyone." The oberstleutnant approached a table that was in the middle of the tent and the officers gathered around the table to listen to what the oberstleutnant has to say.

"Gentlemen, make no mistake we took a serious beating but this doesn't mean we will lose this war. The Gallians have shown backbone but we still outnumber them and we are still the best military in the world." This caused some of the officers to feel a bit better, even Claus.

"However, due to the losses that we faced in Vasel, our unit is going to be repositioned to the rear." Mutters began amongst the officers. Being removed from the line due to losses were common for badly mauled units but this is the first for this unit. A hand was raised amongst the crowd.

"Yes?" The oberstleutnant said. The hand belonged to a captain of infantry.

"Sir, where will we be move to sir?"

"As of now, I do not know. Just be prepared to move out soon. We will be leaving the front in one hour." The oberstleutnant said. He scanned the crowd for anymore questions. No one raised their hand.

"If there are no more questions, then you are dismissed." The officers saluted the oberstleutnant and began to file out.

"Oberleutnant Stauffenberg, stay for a bit." Clause stopped and looked to Walther who gave him a pat on the back and exited the tent. Claus went and stood in front of the oberstleutnant table and stood at attention.

"Claus, your tank will be heading to Aslone." Claus blinked for a few minutes before responding.

"Sir?"

"We have received word that the Gallians in the Aslone Fortress has been holding up the invasion force for quite some time. I have received word that they are in need for reinforcements. Right now, I can't spare anyone but I heard about how you were able to lead your company through the battle of Vasel after your hauptman was killed." Claus stiffened at that. His company captain was killed from a lancer and most of his company were caught off guard from the surprise attack by the Gallians, resulting in the lost of around 80% of the company. However, Claus was able to rally the remaining tanks and formed a defensive line near the bridge and held as long as they could before falling back.

"I was just doing my job sir." Claus responded. The oberstleutnant shook his head.

"Nonsense. You were able to pull your company from the brink and lead a successive defense that delayed the enemy long enough for us to evacuate our forces." The oberstleutnant said. He then began writing on a piece of paper and then handed it to Claus.

"You and your company are to report to Captain Aada Schnee of the 15th Panzer Grenadier Division by tomorrow at 1000 hours." Clause took the piece of paper and looked at the name.

"Schnee? Isn't she the daughter of that CEO of a ragnite corporation?" Claus asked, remembering that he heard the name somewhere.

"Yes, she is. She is a capable officer and not some spoiled rich kid who bought her way to that rank. She recently took command of the division after the major in charge was removed from command." Claus raised his eyebrows.

"She is commanding a division?"

"For now, at least that is what I was told. Now get out of here, you wouldn't want to keep the captain waiting. From the reports coming from Aslone, she needs all the help she can get." Claus nodded then saluted the oberstleutnant and then walked out of the tent. He made his way to his tank where he saw Johann and Josef leaning on the tank smoking a cigarette, Erica sleeping on top of the tank hull, and Maho was sitting on the tank writing something on a piece of paper, most likely a letter to her little sister, Miho.

"Alright, you lazy bums, we are moving out!" Claus yelled, startling the crew. Johann sucked on his cigarette and blew out smoke.

"Where we going sir?" He asked as he threw the cigarette on the ground, then stepping on it to extinguish it with Josef doing the same.

"We are heading to Aslone. It seems the Gallians have held up the forces there so we will be assisting them." Claus said.

"Is the rest of the company coming along or just us sir?" Maho asked, pocketing her letter.

"The company. I will be briefing the rest of the company soon. For now, get our tank ready to move." The tank crew began to board the tank and double check everything. Claus got on the tank and tapped on Maho's shoulder.

"How is your little sister?" Claus asked. Claus had only met Miho once and that was when families would visit the unit on certain days to spend quality time with their relatives and Miho had run to the tank and climbed it to find Maho, even going so far as to sticking her head down the hatch as well. It was a funny sight to see at that time.

"She is doing fine. She is attending the tank school at Berlin. Though I worry for her. With an increase in fighting at the borders and her, I fear that she will be dragged into the fighting." Claus nodded and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about that Maho. I think we will win here before she finishes the tankery school." Claus said, reassuring her. This got a smile from Maho but deep down Claus has a sinking feeling that this war has now taken a turn that would not be good for the German Reich.

* * *

 **Randgriz International Airport**

"Damn, they really got hit hard." Charlotte said aloud, looking out the window of the DC-3 she was riding. It taken her a day to finally get here, after staying overnight in London, and now here she now sees the damage done. You can hear a lot of stuff over the radio and you can imagine it but seeing it up close is completely different. Though, for Charlotte, she has seen this kind of destruction before.

' _This isn't as bad as Juno but still, the fact they were able to survive even with this kind of heavy bombing is pretty amazing.'_ Charlotte thought to herself. She looked on and noticed that Castle Randgriz was the only building that didn't show any sign of bomb damage. The damage was mainly in the residential areas and the factory areas but it seems like the Germans don't want to cause damage to the castle itself. As she looked over the city, the pilot called out from the cockpit.

"We will be landing shortly ma'am. The ground crews are finishing up on clearing the runway." Charlotte stood up and walked to the cockpit. She looked out and saw that the runway was in most parts intact. She can tell that bomber have visited it in recent days. Bomb craters are scattered amongst the airfield and it seems like some of the hangars were also damaged to a decree or plainly destroyed. She can see some fighters on the runway, P-40s. Good aircraft back in the day but now they are no match to the Luftwaffe's aircraft. Sure it can handle itself with the ME-109 but it is nothing compared to the Focke-Wulfe. Not only that but what Charlotte is seeing, there aren't that many P-40s on the ground.

"This doesn't look good." Charlotte said aloud. The cargo pilots seem to agree as one of them said, " Sweetheart, I wish you luck. You must be crazy for volunteering for this."

"Yeah thanks." Charlotte commented. She went back to her seat and placed her head on her hands. If the Gallian Royal Air Force was hit this bad, then she can only imagine what Andrew was dealing with.

' _Knowing him, he is probably in the thick of it all.'_ Charlotte thought. She then sighed and rubbed her forehead. Sometimes she wondered why she married a battle-hungry marine but as Andrew always said, she fell for his charm and his good nature. She smiled at that. She can't lie to herself if she said she didn't love Andrew for his good nature, even though he is a battle hungry marine.

The DC-3 landed and bounced a bit before finally slowing down. The plane taxied to the nearest hangar and parked in front of it. Charlotte stood up and picked up her bag. She made her way to the door but before she stepped out one of the pilots stopped her.

"Be careful ma'am. These Gallians really don't like Darcsens like in the states. Be careful ma'am." Charlotte smiled at the pilot's concern.

"Don't worry. It's about time these Gallians know that Darcsens can be good pilots too." The pilot nodded and both of them shook hands before she finally got off the plane. Outside, the airport was busy. Technicians and mechanics were out and about, fixing planes or arming some planes for combat. She didn't know where to go so she looked around to see if she can find someone to ask. She looked around for a bit before caught a glimpse of something. Approaching her was a woman, around the age of 25. The woman has blue eyes and her hair is relatively short. She is wearing a black and blue, high-collared halter top, two pink, intersecting belts over her chest, and black shorts. She also has white bell-sleeves and tan, fingerless gloves and wears what appear to be black stockings or socks on her legs which reach to about halfway up her thighs, leaving a small area of bare skin on her upper thighs. She is wearing combat boots as well. To some, this woman might be some random civilian or mercenary given that she has a 1911 attached to her hip in a holster but to Charlotte the one feature that she remembers is the blue hair and smile on her face.

"Aqua!" Charlotte shouted, running up to her sister and enveloping her in a hug. Aqua hugged back and they stayed like this for a bit before Aqua let go.

"It's good to see you. Imagine my surprise when I saw on my desk my little sister's name as a transfer to fight in Gallia." Aqua said. Charlotte gave a nervous laugh.

"Yeah well, I figured that I should do my part. I mean the Gallians need help after all." Aqua nodded at this but then looked around. Charlotte followed her gaze and noticed that some of the personnel were giving them mean looks.

"I guess we aren't really a welcoming sight?" Aqua nodded.

"Not just us being from the United States but because we are also Darcsen, we are technically subhuman. I wish I could knock some of their heads but that would cause some 'international problems' ". Charlotte giggled. Her sister was usually the more calm and understanding member of her family but ever since she married her husband, Terra Hikari, she slowly adapted a more aggressive approach but she still has her calming feeling to her. She still does now.

"Don't worry, I will show them that Darcsens can be great pilots, probably better than them." Charlotte said, the confidence in her voice giving Aqua a smile.

"Now there is the little sister I know," Aqua rubbed Charlotte's head, "Anyway, I am here to tell you the squadron you are being assigned to is in the south."

"South?"

"Yeah, you are being assigned to the 66th Fighter Wing, mainly the 1st Squadron stationed in South Gallia. You are to report to a Captain Mara Sov. There is already someone here to take you to the squadron." Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

'Where?" Aqua pointed and Charlotte followed it to a supply truck. There, leaning against the door was a man in grey pants, black shoes, a white shirt with a leather jacket over it. He was also wearing a panama hat, covering most of his hair which looked liked it was brown due to some pieces of hair poking out. He had a small moustache and goatee and what caught Charlotte's eyes were he bandoleer.

"I guess the airfields get hit by ground forces too?" Charlotte asked, looking at the man. Aqua nodded.

"There were cases where some airfields were overrun. Explains the bandoleer. Anyway, he will be taking you to the airbase. I have some business in Randgriz to deal with so I won't be taking you to the base." Charlotte looked at her older sister sadly. They haven't seen each other in a year and now they were being separated again. Aqua saw the look and smiled.

"Don't worry, I will come visit when I can. Besides, I still need to figure out where Andrew is remember?" Aqua said. Charlotte nodded in understanding. Charlotte then hugged her sister.

"Be safe, Aqua." Aqua hugged her back and smiled.

"I should be telling you that." Aqua replied. They hugged for awhile before letting go. Charlotte then picked up her bag and began to make her way to the truck. She turned around to wave back to her sister one more time who waved backed and made her way to the truck. As she approached the truck, she noticed that the man was smoking a cigarette. He then noticed her approaching and put out the cigarette.

"You Flight Lieutenant Charlotte Vandegrift, Si?" The man asked. Charlotte noticed the accent and concluded that he must have come from Spain.

"Yes that is me." Charlotte answered. She began to feel uneasy with him. She saw it in his eyes that he isn't your average soldier.

"Take a seat and let's get going." The man said. Charlotte walked over to the other side and opened the door. She saw that there was a rifle that she thought she would never see in Gallia. It was a M1 Garand.

"Like the rifle? I can sell it to you for the right price." Charlotte looked up and saw the man looking at her with a smirk.

"No thanks. I'm good." Charlotte then got into the truck. The man started the engine and back to drive the truck to their base.

"I'm Pedro Hernandez but people call me 'The Spaniard'" Pedro said, introducing himself.

"Nice to meet you Pedro." Charlotte said. The next few minutes were in silence until they hit a small hole and the truck bumped. Charlotte heard the rattling of crates and some glass clicking.

'What are you carrying back there?" Charlotte asked.

"You know the usual. Ammo, supplies, some liquor, and other things." Charlotte eyes widened.

"Liquor is not allowed on military bases! How did you get that? Not to mention the rifle as well." Charlotte exclaimed. Pedro just smirked.

"Let's just say I got some contacts." Pedro said, and just left it at that. Charlotte began to become nervous.

' _What the hell is going on?'_ Charlotte thought to herself. The rest of the drive was in silence. About thirty minutes later, they arrive at the airfield. Charlotte looked out her window and she can see about three hangars and mechanics inside working on some P-40s. However, she was equally surprised to see old biplanes on the tarmac as well. She can even see mechanics working on them. Before she can ask, the truck stopped and Charlotte focused her sights forward. She saw that they stopped in front of a P-40. Pedro got out of the truck and Charlotte followed suit. She got her bag and began to follow Pedro who was making his way to the pair. As they approached, she noticed one of them was a Darcsen and the other wasn't. She can see that the Darcsen was a pilot from the Gallian Royal Air Corp officer uniform she was wearing. On her shoulder was an emblem, a Bald Eagle covered in a shawl with a cloth that had the Darcsen pattern on it. It had it's talons out holding onto a bomb and etched on it were the words "Darcsen Devils". The pilot had her long hair in a braid that is tied with a Darcsen-patterned cloth, Charlotte also noticed a Lugar on her hip holster, probably a captured one.

The man talking to her was wearing a mechanic's gray overalls and boots that were dirtied, probably from working on planes all the time. He also wore fingerless gloves and what seems to be an old German infantry cap. He had ragged grey hair, she can tell from the pieces of hair pointing out of the cap, and sideburns, and a beard. He also had a utility belt full of tools, and there was a pouch too but it seemed to be empty.

"Hey, Boss the Yank has arrived." Pedro called out. Both individuals turned around and Charlotte saw that Mara had a small scar across her right cheek. She have seen those type of scars before so she assumes that she had a narrow brush of death. She then saw that the mechanic had a weary face and there was soot on it. However, she focused most of her notice on Mara since she noticed that her new CO had a pretty buxom and was a bit curvy as well.

' _Note to self: If I ever find Andrew, NEVER introduce him to her!'_ Charlotte yelled in her head. She trusts her husband but there were times where his eyes would drift and Charlotte is a jealous person so she would do her best to keep him away from Mara, when she finds him. Now, she dropped her back and stood at attention.

"Flight Lieutenant Charlotte Vandegrift ma'am." Charlotte said, saluting her new commanding officer. Mara looks over Charlotte for a bit.

'Alright then. Let's get you settled in" Mara said, leading the way. Charlotte followed her, then she overheard a brief conversation between Pedro and the mechanic.

"Here is your bourbon Ben. You owe me thirty bucks" Charlotte looked back to see Pedro hand him a bottle of bourbon to the mechanic.

"Pedro is our resident black market dealer." Charlotte turned and saw Mara waiting for her.

"If you want anything, just be prepared to pay him a hefty price. That can range from weapons, to liquor, anything you want." Mara said. Charlotte raised an eyebrow but didn't question it. That made sense to her since if he can get some items that are usually considered contraband and weapons that are from other countries easily then he had to be one.

"Once we get you settled in, I show you the crate you will be flying in." Mara said. Charlotte nodded and looked around. There were numerous P-40s and biplanes being fixed and patched due the number of bullet holes in them.

"Well, I noticed you all patching bullets on the tarmac, I suggest skip the housekeeping and get me right into an airplane." Charlotte suggested. Mara turned to Charlotte and was about to say something when a voice called her. They both looked in the direction of the voice and saw a man dressed in what looks like a captain's uniform from the Gallian Militia. He is wearing an officer's cap and has brown eyes. He also has a Colt 1911 in a holster and an infantry cutlass sheathed.

"Two didn't come back ma'am. We counted only eleven." The man yelled to her. Just as that happened, four P-40s in formation flew above them. Mara had a pained look on her face and went silent. The man didn't look her in the eye and just walked away. Charlotte was also silent. She understood that losing people in combat is something not to be taken likely. They were silent for a bit before Mara turned and asked Charlotte a question.

"Are you Yanks so anxious to get yourself killed, Flight Lieutenant?" Mara asked. Charlotte thought about it for a minute. Originally, she wanted to come over here to find Andrew but also she wanted to help. She heard the news through the radio and a part of her wanted to go help while at the same time look for her husband.

"No anxious to die ma'am. Just anxious to matter." Charlotte replied, keeping silent on the part to look for her husband. Mara thought about it for a minute then smiled a bit. She then turned and began walked to a group of P-40s. Charlotte followed her, the pair walking until they approached a P-40 that was filled with bullet holes and some blood on it.

"This plane is yours. Good pilot. Didn't die until he landed and shut down his engine." Charlotte looked at the plane for a bit then dropped her bag. She then approached the cockpit and looked inside, then she recoiled. The cockpit was filled with blood and she had to cover her mouth. She then looked at Mara.

"So, when will I be able to fly?" Charlotte asked.

"Give it two days. Our head mechanic will fix her up then you can take her for a flight." Mara answered. Charlotte picked up her bag and the pair were planning to head to the barracks when suddenly a siren rang out.

"What's going on?!" Charlotte exclaimed. The intercom rang out and both of them heard what made their heart stop.

"Large formation of bombers and fighters heading to the airfield. All pilots, to your planes!"

 **Charlotte has now entered the war and is going to taste her first battle. So the 66th Fighter Wing belong to Heinkelboy05 and has given me permission to use at least this part of the squadron for my story as well as some of his own OCs from the squadron. If you haven't yet, go check out his story "On the Gallian Front: The Gallian-Germanian War. It is a really good fanfiction and I highly recommend it. Also, I am now taking any OCs since in the future I will be adding some more new characters to the story but really have no clue what to name them or give them any position. So, PM me if you want your OC added to this story. As usual, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and if you have question, feel free to PM me. See you all later.**


	13. Chapter 11: Earning her wings

**Note: Valkyria Chronicles is owned by Sega, not me. I only own my OCs as well as some of the OCs used belong to Heinkelboy05**

11: Earning her wings

The sounds of boots hitting dirt filled Charlotte's ears as every pilot on base ran to their planes. Charlotte was no exception but then Mara grabbed Charlotte's arm.

"Your fighter is in no condition to fly. Follow me, we have a spare fighter in the hangar my fighter is housed in." Mara said. Charlotte nodded and both of them ran to said hanger. When they arrived to the hangar, Charlotte saw that there were two P-40s.

"Take the one on the right and get into the air. Don't wait for me." Mara said. Charlotte nodded and rushed to the fighter. She got in and began to start the fighter. The Allison V-1710-39 liquid-cooled V12 engine roared to life as Charlotte began her pre-flight checks. She checked her fuel gauge, her instruments, and various gauges. She then tested the flaps on the wings and tail and saw that everything is in order. She began to accelerate the plane forward and out of the hangar.

When she got outside, she saw chaos. There were wrecked planes here and there and fires on some of the hangars. In the skies above her, Gallian and German fighters were dueling each other for dominance. Charlotte saw a German 109 on fire hit the ground in a blaze. Over the radio, she can hear the chatter of her comrades.

"There are two on me!'

"Break left! Break left!"

"I can't shake them!"

Charlotte began to grit her teeth. Having fought in the Soviet-American War, these transmissions are all too familiar to her. She piloted her plane to the nearest runway and without asking for permission she took off. Her plane flew right off the runway but then she saw through her rear-view mirror that a 109 noticed her and was behind her, firing away. She pulled her landing gear up and banked a hard left. The 109 kept up with her a fired a burst, hitting her aircraft. Charlotte began to conduct evasive maneuvers but it seemed like the German was keeping up with her. Then she remembered an old tactic that she used with the Soviets. She cut her speed and then pulled on the stick hard. The P-40 stalled and because of the sudden reduced speed, the German couldn't match it. The 109 flew right past Charlotte and she smiled. She then began to accelerate again and now the tables were turned. She got on the German's tail and pulled the trigger. Six fifty-caliber machine guns roared and pierced the 109. The German fighter bursts into flames and spiraled to the ground.

"Take that Kraut!" Charlotte said. She looked around for more targets but then spot a P-40 and boy was that pilot good. The pilot shot down a 109 then seconds later shoots down another one that was heading directly towards it. Then it begins to chase another 109 and then shoots it down with ease.

"Whoa, that is one hell of a pilot." Charlotte said to herself. She then began to get hits on her plane. She swore and banked away from the fire. She looked behind her and saw a 109 behind her. She brought her plane to the left to try and get the German off of her. The German pilot was able to keep up on her. Charlotte began to use every maneuver she had in her book but still the German stuck on her. Then Charlotte reduced her speed and saw that the 109 tried to match the reduced speed but like the plane before it, the 109 overshot the P-40. Charlotte lined the 109 in it's sights and then let out a burst of 50 caliber lead. The bullets hit the right wing of the German fighter, tearing it off the fighter and causing the 109 to spiral to the ground. Charlotte smiled at her kill and then heard a voice cry out on the radio.

"I HAVE TWO ON ME! I NEED HELP!" Charlotte looked around to see if she spot the pilot in trouble and then noticed a P-40 close to the ground being chased by a 109 and a FW-190. The Focke-Wulfe 190 is an upgrade to the 109 in regards to engaging enemy fighters at low-altitude. It's performance wasn't that great at higher altitude so the fighter is usually used as a fighter-bomber, similar to the P-47 Thunderbolts the U.S uses. Charlotte begin to calculate how to engage them so that the pilot can escape.

"I'll take out the 190 first, then get the 109." Charlotte said to herself. She angled her fighter and headed toward the fighters. The German fighters didn't see Charlotte, due to one they were more focused on taking out the fighter they were pursuing and second, Charlotte was using the sun as cover and the Germans couldn't see the small black speck heading towards them. Charlotte gave a predatory grin as she thumbed the trigger and tore the 190 into two. The remaining German fighter broke off, trying to get away from Charlotte. Charlotte was going to pursue until the 109 was shot down a few moments later, by the same fighter Charlotte had seen before.

' _Whoever that pilot, I want to meet them. They can give me a pointer or two.'_ Charlotte thought to herself. She began scanning for more fighters and then noticed something more tempting. She saw two He-111 bombers making their way to the airfield. The He-111 bombers were the Luftwaffe's medium-range bombers since the Luftwaffe didn't see the need to build long-range aircraft, at least for now. The bomber was armed with 7 MG81 machine guns, a 20mm MG FF cannon mounted on either the central nose mount or in the forward ventral position, and a 13mm MG 131 machine gun and that was either mounted on the dorsal area of the bomber and/or ventral rear position of the bomber. Basically, it was heavily armed but still vulnerable to fighters without an escort. Charlotte looked around and saw that any nearby German fighter was currently busy with either a Gallian fighter or AA fire.

"These boys are going to be easy targets." Charlotte said, licking her lips and having a wicked smile on her face. She accelerated to gain more altitude and once she was able to gain the altitude she needed, she dived towards the bombers. She focused on the lead bomber and pressed the hammer down on her trigger, letting all six of her machine guns loose on the bomber. Inside the german bomber, the pilot was too focused on flying the bomber to its target while the gunners couldn't see the incoming threat due to the sun blocking their vision. The bombardier was just acquiring their target when suddenly the bomber was raked with 50. caliber bullets from above. The cockpit was destroyed in a few seconds along with the left engine. The bomber began to descend to the ground while the other bomber banked left in an attempt to avoid taking fire from the unknown fighter. Charlotte maneuvered her P-40 and was now behind the bomber but was then taking fire from the rear gunner. She was a bit surprised but recovered and pulled the trigger. Soon the right wing of the bomber was torn to shreds and the bomber fell to the earth.

Charlotte looked for another target until she heard a voice over the radio.

"This is Devil 1, the Germans are pulling out. Do not pursue, repeat do not pursue. Let's head back to the airfield people." Charlotte recognized that voice to be Mara's.

"Alright, let's head back. I wonder how Mara did out here." Charlotte said. She then angled her fighter and made her way to the airfield.

* * *

Charlotte turned off the engine of her plane and heaved a heavy sigh. The airfield was hit pretty bad much miraculously, the runway was barely hit. The Germans were more concerned with the fighters so they focused on hitting the hangars and any planes parked on the tarmac. They also hit the fuel tanks and ammo dump but missed the reserve fuel tanks so at least they would have fuel for some time. Charlotte closed her eyes and was wondering if she can just sleep in the plane until someone hit her on the head with something heavy.

"Ow, what the-" She didn't complete the sentence. Looking up, she was face to face with the mechanic she saw earlier, his old face frowning at her.

"Well, at least you are still alive. And it seems like you weren't shot up that much, unlike a certain someone." The mechanic mumbled, getting off the fighter. Charlotte stood up and saw that Mara was waiting for her and the mechanic approached her, rubbing the back of his head. From where Charlotte was, she can hear their conversation.

"The fighter didn't take much damage, some bullets here and there. The engine will need some work, she pushed the plane to its breaking point. But all in all, she is the only one in the squadron that doesn't have their plane riddled with bullets. I like her already." The mechanic said. Mara just rolled her eyes.

"Whatever Ben, just get the planes up and running. Focus your time on Anya's plane though. She, well…" Mara said, looking over to where Charlotte believed was Anaya's plane and she was amazed that there were that many bullet holes and the plane still flew. Ben sighed, rubbing his eyes and making his way to Anya. Charlotte got out of the cockpit and made her way to Mara, then she heard Ben yell, " DAMMIT ANYA! CAN'T YOU JUST MAKE IT THROUGH ONE MISSION WHERE YOUR PLANE ISN'T SWISS CHEESE!"

"I take it he doesn't like the planes to be damaged." Charlotte asked.

"Yeah, but he is a good man. He can also be funny at times." Mara said, looking at Ben yelling at Anya, "So, I saw you up there. Pretty good skills."

"Yeah, the 109s are similar to Yaks I shot down but they are a bit better in doing turns, especially at high altitude. I was able to outsmart a few of those pilots but they were still good. The bombers were easy, they weren't that armored than the Tupolev bombers Ivan had. However the flying was nothing compared to the Russians, who really just try to overwhelm us with their numbers. But there was that one Gallian pilot i saw. He was weaving through German planes like no one's business. I wonder who he is cuz that was amazing?" Charlotte said. Mara looked at her with an embarrassed look.

"I wouldn't really call my flying amazing. It's just what you get from experience." Charlotte's eyes widened.

"Wait, that was you? I have never seen anything like that before. Where did you get all that experience? There is no way you got that good within a month, no offense."Charlotte said, trying to contain her excitement. From her own experience, there was no way that someone could get that good in a month from fighting an air force as well trained and experienced as the Luftwaffe.

"I first served in the Great War. My kill count at the end of the war rivals that of the Red Baron himself. Actually fought against him a couple of times. He's the reason I have this scar on my face." Mara replied. Charlotte's eyes bulged.

"You fought in the Great War?" Charlotte exclaimed. Before Mara could reply another voice answered for her.

"Yes, she has. At least she fought in the First World War unlike your country Yank." Charlotte turned around and saw a man approach them. From the flight suit, he was a pilot. He had a military crew cut but what really caught Charlotte's attention and to her horror was the large Iron Cross branded on his face. He also had a bandolier across his jacket though it was only partially filled with bullets and has a Darcsen bandanna on his head.

"Want to say that again?" Charlotte growled. Mara put a hand up before Charlotte could go any further.

"Lucas, go see if Ben or Jake need any help." When Lucas didn't move, Mara repeated herself,

"That's an ORDER!" Lucas scowled then went to go find either Ben or Jake.

"Forgive Lucas, he is of a bit of a cynical man." Mara said.

"I can see that." Charlotte said. Mara sighed then motioned Charlotte.

"C'mon, let's see if anyone needs our help and then probably see if we can find you a bed to sleep on tonight." Mara said. Charlotte nodded and followed Mara. As they walked, Charlotte thought in her head.

' _Andrew, I hope you are doing more better than what I am dealing with right now.'_

* * *

"Well, I never expected them to be this cocky." Andrew said to himself. He was looking over the smoldering wrecks of some trucks that use to belong to the German convoy that was bringing in ammo for the frontline troops. Now, not so much.

"I can't say I blame them. After all, we aren't really putting too much pressure on them." No. 13 said. Andrew sighed. So far, he has not made any process in getting to know their names yet. In fact, he only knows Gusurg's name that was pretty much it. Not only that, only Gusurg, 13, and the ever so silent No.1 have been the only ones fighting so far. The rest of the squad still haven't committed to fighting and it was slowly eating at Andrew's nerves a bit and it has also been eating at Kurt as well.

"Alright everyone, there are no more German forces left. This mission is a success. Let's head back to camp." Kurt yelled. Andrew and 13 headed to where Kurt was boarded Gusrug's tank, with 1 already sitting on the back of the tank. Once everyone was on the tank, Gusurg began to drive them back to camp. As they were heading back to camp, Andrew tapped Kurt's shoulder.

"Got a radio transmission before we left. Old man Crowe wants to see us." Kurt nodded.

"Alright, when we get back to camp we will take a jeep." Kurt replied. Andrew nodded and decided to take a small nap before heading off to meet the colonel.

An hour and a half later, both men were back at Fort Amaranthine. Kurt was leading the way while Andrew was following close behind. As both men were making their way to the command building, they both noticed that the base was in high spirits, something that Andrew saw a bit unusual given Gallia's situation.

"Wonder what everyone is happy about?" Andrew asked.

"No idea. Maybe your country finally decided to send troops to fight." Kurt suggested. Even though there are those who didn't like the United States for not taking part in the Great War, many agree that any reinforcements from the U.S would be nice to have.

Andrew laughed at this notion, "That is highly unlikely. Don't get me wrong, there are many from my country that want to get in on this fight against the krauts, there are still a large number of people who are against any involvement with what they call 'Europe's mess'" Kurt sighed, he can't really blame the Americans for not getting involved in Gallia's war. The U.S had their own war to deal with in the past with the Second Mexican-American War and the Soviet-American War. So, in a sense, Kurt can understand but at the same time he did feel like America was just leaving Gallia to die.

Andrew saw Kurt's look and immediately added, "But there is a good chance we will get in the fight. I mean, the Nazis hate us as much as anyone else. So, you will probably see American soldiers soon."

"I hope so. Anyway, let's go." Kurt then opened the door to the command building and entered with Andrew following.

"Hopefully this next mission is as bad as the first one." Andrew said.

* * *

"I heard you were able to complete your first mission. So, how do you like the Nameless?" Crowe asked both men. Kurt sighed.

"It is absolutely terrible. I can think of any other way to describe it." Kurt responded. Andrew shrugged.

"First time I have seen a whole unit refuse to fight just because of a new officer. So yeah, it is a bit terrible." Andrew responded. Crowe leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

"That's what I thought. Kurt, Major General Isler is very concerned about you." Crowe said, "He says he's extremely sorry because even he doesn't know how you ended up here."

'I know what I am capable of. The only way out of here is to be recognized by my accomplishments." Kurt said. Andrew sighed, rubbing his head a bit. Crowe must have thought the same as he sighed as well.

"Anyhow… the Gallian Army is unlikely to overturn its own commands," Crowe then began to become serious, "Your next mission is a bit more complicated than your last one."

"What do you mean?' Kurt asked, a bit curious.

"As you know, the Aslone fortress is currently under siege by the Germans." Both Kurt and Andrew nodded. The Aslone fortress is the main blockade for the German forces in that in the month of the war, they could not dislodge the Gallians from the fortress.

"That place is practically impenetrable from what I heard from some Gallian regulars. Why do you ask though?" Andrew asked.

"We got reports of suspicious activity near the fort. Intelligence believes that it could be S.S units." Both men straightened out. The S.S. was a paramilitary force in the Germanic armed forces. Originally, they were the bodyguards of the royals but then it morphed into something more stronger and more dangerous. Their combat arm, the Waffen S.S, was brutal in combat with a reputation of leaving no survivors after a battle.

"You mission is to scout the area around Aslone and if you locate any S.S units then you are to eliminate them all." Crowe stated.

'Hold up. You are asking us to eliminate a Waffen S.S unit, hell we don't even know if there are there or not and how many, with a squad that so dysfunctional that only about 5 people are actually willing to fight." Andrew said.

"That is your problem to handle. Good luck." Crowe said, then swiveled around and then began to sleep. Both Kurt and Andrew were surprised by this but then just decided to accept it and then left the office. Unknown to them, Crowe wasn't sleeping but instead pretend sleeping and waited until both men left. Once the door of his office closed, he turned back to his desk and picked up the phone.

"Sorry about that. Now, let's talk about those reinforcements to the squad that you have for me."

Meanwhile outside, Andrew groaned, "Great, we are going to face a Waffen S.S unit with a squad that only has like 5 members actually fighting." Andrew said. Kurt thought about it for a minute before replying.

"I think I might have a plan for that. However we have to talk to gusurg about it." Kurt said. Andrew just looked at Kurt with a perplexed look.

"What plan are you cooking up?" Andrew asked.

"Let's just talk to Gusurg. Trust me, this will work…. Hopefully."

 **Author's Note: As usual, you guys have any questions, feel free to PM me. And now since I have finally graduated, I can now hopefully update on a more regular bases. See you guys soon.**


	14. Gettingt he squad to work together

Chapter 12: Getting the squad to work together

 **A/N: Valkyria Chronicles belongs to Sega.**

"Our next mission is to scout the area surrounding Aslone for any enemy soldiers. If we find any, then we are to eliminate them." Kurt announced to the group. Kurt and Andrew had just returned from their briefing with Crowe and found Gusurg to discuss with him their next mission.

"The area around Aslone is crawling with enemies. What can we possibly do?" Gusurg said, "I can't believe they want us to just scout that area for some German units that might not even be there. Do we know who we might be facing?"

"Intel thinks it could be a S.S unit." Andrew replied to which Gusurg began rubbing his forehead.

"Great. Just great." Gusurg said. The suddenly Kurt asked Gusurg.

"Gusurg, besides you, No.1 and No. 13, how many others are in this squadron?" Gusurg looked at kurt for a minute then replied.

"Right now, 10."

"Please find five members that you think would be willing to assist me." Kurt asked. Gusurg looked at him for a minute before nodding.

"Understood." And Gusurg went to find members. Andrew then turned to Kurt.

"So, this plan of yours, mind filling me in?" Kurt just smiled.

"Just wait." Andrew just gave a confused look but shrugged. Whatever it was, Andrew just had to trust Kurt on this.

* * *

Gusurg returned later with five members from the squad. Kurt gave them a quick lookover before asking them a question.

"Everyone please tell me your number and the reason why you chose to not participate in the last operation."

'What right do you have to ask?" One of the squadmates asked.

"Don't think that just because you're an officer that you can come here and show off." Another squadmate said, a bit more forceful the the previous man. Andrew stepped in and stood right in the face of the guy.

"I suggest you back the fuck off now." Andrew growled. Both men glared at each other until another squadmate attempted to defuse the situation.

"Hey, don't talk back. Even though I think No.7's being a bit impudent…" The squadmate said.

"You think so. I just think he is cold and distant. And his second in command just odd." Another squadmate added.

"Everyone's speaking such harsh words." Another squadmate said. Andrew broke his glare from the man who was calling Kurt out to look around. Three men and two women, correction girls, had showed up with Gusurg. Andrew heard someone take a deep breath and he turned to see Kurt massage his forehead.

"To think, these people are the people most willing to help me…" Kurt muttered. Then Gusurg spoke out.

"I also want to know why you didn't participate in our last mission. Can you tell me?" Then Andrew saw something that he shouldn't be surprised but it still surprised him. The group of five were more than eager to tell him.

"If Gusurg asks..."

"Alright then."

' _This squad reminds me too much of my old squad from the war. But then again I have been out of it for awhile now so this should be good.'_ Andrew thought to himself as each member began to state their number and reason why they didn't fight. First up was one of the girls, and Andrew swore this girl was around fifteen, his little sister's age. Her uniform was similar to that of a school uniform, even with a yellow handkerchief hanging in the center of her chest. She also had a light blue backpack and two pouches of the similar color on her belt. There were also two leather kneecaps on her knees for protection maybe but Andrew doubted that. She also has short blond hair.

"I'm No.15, I don't want to die so I didn't fight." No. 15 replied. Fifteen stepped back and then came up the man who had called out Kurt. The man was tanned, making him a bit unique in the military, at least in Gallia. He had the standard uniform on but it seems like he decorated it with pieces of leather here and there and has grayish hair with a gold highlight in the front. It makes him look like a cowboy in a sense and Andrew had to hold back a laugh because of how he reminded him of some Texans he knew back home and it brought back a funny memory.

"No. 21, I didn't want my comrades to die so I picked the best alternative." He stepped back and the other girl came up to speak. The girl had short orange hair She had spandex shorts on, hinting she is athletic and a sleeveless jacket with a sleeveless grey shirt underneath with yellow sleeves covering her lower arm and brown gloves. She also has two big pouches on her belt.

"I'm No. 24. I wanted to fight, but everyone held me back!" Twenty-Four replied with excitement. Andrew leaned into Kurt's ear and whispered, "This one is a bit too eager to go fight. I like her already." At this kurt smirked and elbowed Andrew in the gut. The next person to come up was a Darcsen. Like most Darcsen males that Andrew has seen, he had a slender nose, pale complexion, elongated face, and his eyes were slanted downward. His hair reaches down to his shoulders and he was covered in chain mail and a metal chestplate. His Darcsen pattern shawl was wrapped around his neck and when he spoke, he sounds like he gave up on life.

"No. 56, I hate fighting." Fifty-Six said before immediately stepping back. The final man stepped up and the way he was dressed caught Andrew's attention a bit. He wore a standard military uniform but under it was a chef's uniform as well with an apron tied tightly around his waist. He has grayish hair with a small goatee of the same color.

"No. 32, we don't have a captain right now, so we don't have to do anything." Thirty-two answered simply. This caught Kurt's attention.

"No captain?" Kurt asked, a bit confused. Andrew was confused as well since Kurt was their captain. Gusurg saw both men's look and told them a piece of information that would have been helpful in the beginning.

"In practice, the captain of the Nameless is someone who everyone agrees is worthy." So even if your rank is the highest, you still aren't recognized as the captain." kurt then thought about it for a minute.

"Come to think of it… my transfer to this squad didn't say I was to be its captain." Kurt said. Andrew just gave him a dumbfound look.

"What?" Andrew said.

"Well, since I was the only ranking officer here I assumed that I would be the captain." Kurt replied. Gusurg nodded at this.

"Understandable. I believe in you Kurt but you still don't have half of the squad supporting you. In other words, your orders don't carry the weight that a captain's normally would." Andrew was just curious at this point and had to ask.

"Are those official military rules cuz if so, I would love to recommend that to some platoons and companies back home." Gusurg just smiled at this.

"These are the rule of the Nameless. If you want to find out if they're official, why don't you ask Lieutenant Colonel Crowe?" Gusurg answered. Andrew chuckled while kurt just closed his eyes.

"There's no need." Kurt said. All of a sudden, No. 21 approached the three.

"Gusurg! We all decided that you should be captain." He stated. The three turned and saw that he wasn't alone, and not alone in that statement.

"That's right! I respect Gusurg!" No.24 proclaimed. However Gusurg just shook his head.

"I'm not capable of being the captain. Besides, if a Darcsen were to become our captain, then everyone's wage would worsen." Gusurg warned.

"Wait, that happens?" Andrew question, confused. Everyone just looked at him.

"Nevermind." Andrew said. Then thought to himself, ' _I need to keep telling myself that Europe is completely different from the States.'_

"But besides you, who else can lead?" No. 15 asked.

"I believe that No.7, second Lieutenant Kurt Irving is suitable for the position." Gusurg said, motioning to Kurt. The five members were doubtful of that and Gusurg probably saw this because he continued.

"You were absent for his battle, but I saw with my own eyes his capabilities as a leader. That's why I recommended him. If you are interested, please fight under his command once before you decide." Gusurg paused then announced, "If after, you truly can't accept him, then I will become your captain. I wish for all of you to personally see for yourself. What do you say?" There was a brief silence and Andrew assumed they were going to say no but then No. 32 replied first.

"If Gusurg says so, then it's allright with me. I'll accept." He was followed by No. 24.

"I always wanted to go anyway, so there's no problem!"

"I'll listen to No.6." No.56 replied.

"If No.7 really made Gusurg feel that way…" No.15 replied.

"If everyone else thinks it's okay, I won't disagree. I'll stand by my comrade's decision." No.21 replied. Gusurg looked over the group and then a smile formed on his face.

"Thank you for your support." Gusurg told the group. He then turned to Kurt and Andrew and said, "Kurt, Andrew from here on in, it's up to you both to prove your strengths." Andrew was a bit confused but before he could reply, Kurt replied with a smile, "All right, as far as i'm concerned, our next mission will be much easier than persuading our squad." As everyone dispersed, Andrew stopped Gusurg.

"Why did you mention me? I mean they really need to listen to Kurt. With me, I can work something out with them." Andrew said. Having dealt with a lot of troublesome people in his life, he knows how to be able to get on someone's good side but was a bit surprised when Gusurg responded him.

"You have more experience than all of us combined. I have heard of you, from the American newspapers. I assume you were the "Devil of Juno"? Andrew just gave Gusurg a shocked look.

"I didn't think that would get to Europe but then again…." Andrew started but stopped himself.

"What is it?" Gusurg asked.

"Nothing. I need to get some parts for my rifle." Andrew said quickly and then bolted. Gusurg just looked at the leaving man confused while Andrew had to do his best to control his right hand which was shaking. His nickname from the Russo-American War was created to scare the Russians but to him it is a reminder of the hell that he went through in the city.

"And to think it was because of that nickname that got me noticed by the European powers when hiring mercs." Andrew muttered to himself. Some jobs he did in Europe after the war wouldn't make him lose a night's sleep, some others would always haunt him. He was still thinking about that when he finally reached the resupply truck that gives the Nameless their gear and weapons.

Since the Nameless are a special forces unit that operates far from a base, they would need to be resupplied by ruck and this was usually in a form of an armored APC. It had a blue/tan camo with the Gallian Army markings on the side. There wa also a C, encased in a horseshoe with the C representing the name of the person in charge of the APC. As he approached the APC, there were sheets of canvas laid out around the APC and on them were an assortment of weapons from rifles, to submachine guns, machine guns, and even weirdly swords and mauls. Andrew never really understood the sword and maul being used in a war. In a changing world, guns would be taking over but again he can't say anything since he isn't technically in the Gallian military. As he approached he noticed No.15 and No.24 talking amongst each other and from what Andrew heard, they were pretty excited.

"What has seemed to got you two in happy moods?" Andrew asked the pair as he approached them. They both jumped in surprise and faced him, with No. 24 hiding something behind her back.

"Oh, nothing sir. Uhm, No.28." No. 15 said.

"Yeah we were just uhm you know looking at a beauty magazine." No. 24 answered though it sounded forced. Andrew was not convinced.

"Alright hand it over." Andrew said, extending his hand. No.24 finally reluctantly handed him what she was hiding and it surprised Andrew that it was a newspaper.

"A newspaper?" Andrew said as he looked at the front page and read the headline, " 'Gallian Militia Squad helps take back Vasel'. Wait, when did this happen!?"

"A few days ago. I still can't believe it. We actually won a battle!" No. 15 exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah! That must have been one hell of a battle! I wish we could have taken part of it!" No. 24 stated. Andrew then smirked a bit.

"Technically, we did take part in it. We cleared out a scouting unit on the outskirts of the city so that the Regular Army and Militia can secure the city." Andre replied. Both girl's eyes lit up.

"Really? We helped with that?" No. 15 asked. Andrew nodded.

"Yup, though you won't see that in the papers sadly. Seems like command doesn't want to public to know about us." Andrew commented. He scanned the newspaper and noticed all the praise it was telling the reader.

"First major victory huh? Well, it's about damn time Gallia started kicking Nazi ass." Andrew said. Both girls nodded in agreement.

"Everyone was talking about it when you and No.7 were gone. Apparently it was a militia squad that did it." No.15 said.

"Yeah! Though it kind of sucks that we won't ever get credit in helping it." No.24 said. Before anyone can say anything else, Andrew said, "Son of a bitch!"

Both girls turned around and saw Andrew was staring at one of the pages of the newspaper, his mouth opened. Both girls were curious as to what he was looking at so they approached him and saw what he was looking at. He was looking at a picture that depicted the squad that help take Vasel. They were posing on top of a destroyed German tank with someone posing with a Nazi flag.

"Do you know someone in the picture?" No.15 asked. Andrew was about to reply before someone called out to him.

"Hey, Yank. I have been waiting for you." The trio looked up and saw someone approaching him. The person approaching them was female and was wearing a standard Gallian Army uniform with her wearing a skirt instead of the usual trousers. She also has a map hanging from her neck and also wearing a headset and throat mic. She had a huge purse attached on her hip with her personalized symbol on it and a small pack also attached. She wore knee high boots and stockings with the red and blue color of the Gallian army. She also has the sergeant major markings and she was the one Andrew had come here to see eventually.

' _Carisa Contzen. This woman is probably one the few people that i love/hate. I love the woman for having some good stuff like rifle parts, goods, ammo, hell even mail somehow. But I hate her because with her, everything has a price. Granted, it's not as bad as the black market merchants but we should be getting these damn stuff for no charge since we are still part of the military. But I can't deny, she does somehow get the best gear and even foreign gear and weapons. It's safe to assume she might have other friends she is working with.' -Andrew W. Vandegrift._

The moment Carisa arrived No.15 and 24 decided to leave while Andrew had to deal with Carisa.

"I was actually going to talk to you but since you were looking for me, I'll let you go first." Andrew said.

"Well, from my recent visit back to base, there was a nice little package waiting to be delivered just for you." Carisa said. This caused andrew to raise his eyebrows.

"For me? From who?" Andrew asked. Carisa shrugged as she made her way to the APC opened the passenger side and pulled out a long package.

"Didn't really say. All I was told that it must be delivered to you. Something about a new weapon." Carisa said, giving the package to Andrew. Andrew examined the box and thought what it could be. Looking around, he found a crowbar lying next to some other boxes and picked it up. He then proceeded to open the crate and was surprised by what he saw. Inside the crate was a brand new Thompson submachine gun but it wasn't one that he used back in the Russo-American War. This Thompson was beefed up to have a more sturdy foregrip and on closer examination, it even had a small vertical grip to it, it was just brought up to conceal it. Also the magazine seems to be a bit bigger than the old 30-round mags that Andrew is use to and the sights seemed to have been altered slightly as well with the standard Fixed L sight being altered to be more precise. However on this model, the Thompson the Blish lock was retained. The Blish Lock was a method in which rounds would be ejected with the force of friction rather than anything else, though it was phased out by the military due to it not really being necessary. All in all, this submachine gun was redesigned to be more suitable for warfare but why Andrew was getting it he had no idea. He then noticed a letter tucked in the crate. He picked it up and opened it to read the note.

' _Andrew, if this ever reaches you I want you to know that our mother and I are worried about you. Your mother hasn't had a good night sleep and your brothers and sisters are also worried. So, I pulled some strings and found out you were serving in a sort of Gallian special forces unit. So, I sent this new Thompson model to you to help out. I am told it can take the 9mm that the Krauts are using. I hope it helps, and show those Germans how Marines fight. Also, write to your mother please. Love, Dad.'_

Andrew had a small smile form on his face and his eyes started to water but he held them in.

"Thanks dad." He muttered as he wiped his face and tucked the letter in his pocket. He then looked up and saw that Carisa was staring at him.

"Who was the box form?" She asked him.

"From home." Andrew answered. Carisa raised her eyebrows but didn't push further.

"Anyway, you said you were looking for me to. What is it that you wanted me for?"

* * *

' _So it turns out the Cei-Rigotti rifle was going to have to head back to the R &D of the fort to get an upgrade and so that Jess can fix it up for me. So, now I have to use the submachine gun for now but hey I wasn't complaining. Shortly after that, Kurt called everyone together for a mission briefing. And when I mean everyone, I mean the five people that volunteered along with the One, Thirteen, Gusurg, and I. And the mission that was being briefed to us was going to make the squad working together a lot harder.' Andrew W. Vandegrift._

"Thirteen went on a scouting mission for us and has reported that there seems to be a two platoons of German soldiers near a windmill and near a bridge that crosses the river here," Kurt points on the map, "We need to take them out."

"Did Thirteen state whether they are S.S troops or not?" Andrew asked.

"She didn't say. I could be an S.S unit or a normal Wehrmacht unit. Right now, we need to eliminate them before they can regroup for a counterattack on our forces in Vasel." Kurt answered.

"Any enemy tanks in the area?" Thirty-two asked. He was the resident Lancer in the squad and wanted to know if he should bring the anti-tank lance with him or not.

"Thirteen reported that there is a command tank here," Kurt pointed to the place where the tank is near the windmill, "I believe that if we take out that tank that the Germans would retreat."

"What makes you so sure about that?" Twenty-One asked, skeptical that the Germans would actually flee from the destruction of just one tank.

"The Germans value command and control a lot. That's why their NCOs are top notch as well as their officers. Seeing their chain in command taken out will throw them off and the fact that we are engaging them will throw them off guard and confused. Their NCOs are good but they are not that good and know when the retreat when they have to." Andrew pointed out.

"How do you know so much about that?" Twenty-one asked.

"Let's say it comes with my old work." Andrew stated. Twenty-One was about to ask more until Kurt chimed in.

"Enough. Now, we will split all of us into two teams. The first team lead by Twenty-Eight will take Fifteen, Twenty-Four, Fifty-Six, and Thirteen to attack the platoon near the bridge while i will take Thirty-Two, Twenty-One, and One with me to outflank the tank and take it out. Gusurg will take the tank and support Twenty-Eight here to take the bridge." Kurt said. Some of the members felt a bit uneasy, mainly Andrew's team which confused him a bit but pushed it aside.

"We will be leaving within the hour. Take this time to get some rest or get some food. It's going to be a long day ahead of us." Kurt was about to dismiss everyone until No. 24 brought something up.

"Oh, No.7, do you think we will be in the paper if we succeed in this mission?" Kurt looked at her with his eyebrows raised while Andrew sighed and massaged his forehead.

'Look, about that-" Andrew started to say but then was stopped when Kurt raised his hand to stop him.

"I understand that all of you are excited about our country's first victory at Vasel and you should be proud of it due to this squad helping with achieving this victory. However, due to the nature of our work, unfortunately we won't be appearing in any newspapers. However I can promise you all this, even if our victories aren't published or if the credit is given to the regular army it will be in your hearts that we fought those battles and made it through them alive. So that in the future, when you have children and they ask you what you did in the war, you can tell them the truth. The real truth. That I can promise you." Kurt said, looking over everyone. No one said a word as Kurt's word hung in the air. Kurt,seeing that no one was going to ask another question, walked away. Finally it was No. 21 who broke the silence.

"What does that mean?" He asked.

"He means that the feeling of actually winning the battle is more worth it than getting headlines. I knkew he was a good commander." Andrew commented. Everyone looked at him.

"Why's that?" No. Thiry-Two asked. Andrew looked at them all gave them a sad smile.

"Because, only the foolish and the stupid would want recognition for their work and that usually results in them getting killed."

* * *

Alone fortress. It was one of the last fortress left in central Gallia that has not been taken by the Germans yet. And calling ti a fortress would be a severe understatement. It was more like a land-locked battleship. The walls are covered with gun turrets and siege guns that have successfully held up the germans for weeks now. The germans have assumed that they could take the fort in a week at the latest. However, they didn't expect the Gallian forces stationed in Aslone to fight on instead of surrender to the might of the German war machine like the other units. As a result, this lead to the Germans dedicating a significant number of their troops in taking the fort. Unknown to the main German units, however, that Byzantium had been a bit annoyed about the stall of the campaign that he decided to send a small S.S unit to help the their main force take the fortress. The S.S unit was currently stationed itself near a windmill as well as a part of the unit was stationed near a bridge crossing that it was planning to use to move more of their men to outflank the Gallians. However, this unit was a bit special in the S.S in that this unit was part of the 5th S.S Panzer Division _Wiking_ or "viking". This unit was comprised of volunteers from the numerous Germania territories from Finland to Norway, to Estonia. Normally this division would be deployed over on the Eastern borders of Germania to counter the Russians but now they were moved over to Gallia to see if they can help speed up the process.

The commander of this small unit was sitting on top of his command Panzer IV and looking over his map. So far, he only has a platoon cross the bridge and they have set up near this windmill. There were some buildings around the windmill but they appeared to be abandoned. That eased the commander's thoughts, grateful that he didn't have to deal with pesky civilians. He probably would killed them anyway since he didn't have the time to deal with them. He continued to look at the map, not noticing that he was being sighted by a scope near one of the houses.

Kurt was looking through the scope of a captured German rifle that he has never seen before. He had the dead German soldier on the ground near him to thank for the rifle, the soldier being easy to kill due to the man having fallen asleep. He looked to his left and saw No.32 and 21, kneeling out of sight. Twenty-One was armed with a Mags-4 submachine gun while Thirty-Two was holding on his Lancer to take out the tank.

"Thirty-Two, I spotted the tank. I want you and Twenty-One to make your way down their and take out the tank. Stay hidden until you are close enough to the tank that the lance won't miss." Kurt told them.

"Got it. Leave it to me." Thirty-two said. Twenty-one, however, wasn't convinced it would be that easy.

"What about the Germans near that farmhouse in front of tank. They wouldn't just sit still and let us destroy the tank."

"There is a ladder in the windmill, leading down to the valley to the side. You two will go through there. Meanwhile, Number One will attack the farmhouse to get the attention of the Germans while I will provide cover fire from here." Kurt looked over to Number One who was leaning on a wall near the door of the house.

"You can take care of it right One or would you need me to help you because I can if you need it." Kurt asked. He heard from Andrew how she was able to single-handedly hold off the germans by herself but he hasn't seen it himself so he is a bit unsure if what Andrew said was true or him just expatriating everything.

"No." One replied, pulling a small mini rocket from her belt, twirling it, and inserting it. Kurt took that as an indication that she would not need any help. Kurt was then about to issue the order to attack until he heard Andrew's voice on the radio.

"Sever, we have a problem."

"What is it?" Kurt asked.

"They have a Tiger."

 **Hope you all enjoy the chapter. As usual, if you want to ask about anything, feel free to PM me**


	15. Chapter 13:The first Official battle o

Chapter 13: The first "Official" battle of the Nameless

 **Disclaimer: Valkyria Chronicles is owned by Sega**

"Can you repeat that again 28?" Andrew heard Kurt ask him over the radio. RIght now, Andrew along with the second group were getting in place for their part of the attack on this German unit and Andrew was going to have Number Thirteen signal Gusurg to move the tank in when he caught sight of a German tank on the other side of the bridge. Andrew took out his binoculars and saw that it was a Tiger tank, one of the most deadliest heavy tanks that the German arsenal had.

"I repeat, they have a Tiger tank and minus the tank, we do not have anything to hit that Tiger with." Andrew replied, looking behind him to see that Thirteen, Fifteen, Fifty-Six, and thirty-Four crouched behind him while Gusurg had positioned the tank behind some trees and covered it with some branches and leaves.

"Doesn't the tank have an 88mm gun? Can't that penetrate the Tiger's armor?" Kurt asked.

"It does but i never fired at a Tiger before. So i don't know if the round will penetrate the armor or bounce off. Plus, they would hear us coming and they can have that Tiger take shot at us first. " Gusurg answered through the radio. Andrew was thinking about what to do when someone tapped his shoulder. He looked back to see that Thirteen was the one asking for attention.

"Um, I think I might have an idea." Andrew raised an eyebrow.

"What is it Thirteen?" Andrew asked. Thirteen pointed at the closest house near the bridge.

"I remember from my scouting that I saw the Germans moved some crates into that house. I also saw one of them bring inside a panzerschreck inside as well." Andrew looked over to the house and saw that there was only two guards around that house.

"It seems to be less defended compared to the other houses since it is the farthest from the bridge, they are probably using it as an ammo dump." Andrew mused. He then got on the radio.

"No.7, Thirteen found an ammo dump near the bridge. It looks like it is lightly defended. I have an idea."

"What is it?" Kurt asked.

"I want to take Thirteen with me to the house and see if we can find any anti-tank weapons. If we find any, then we can take out the Tiger from the top. The armor is the weakest there. After that, I can signal the rest of the squad to move in along with the tank and take this area. It should cause enough commotion for the SS commander to send reinforcements this way so that you guys can take him out along with the security detail with him." Andrew said. There was a brief pause before Kurt responded.

"I approve of the mission, just make sure that you don't overdue it. I don't want anyone being a hero. Just do your job and get home safe. Seven out." Andrew then put the radio back into its receiver.

"Well, i guess it's on. Thirteen, you are with me. Fifteen, Twenty-Four, Fifty-Six, I want you all to head towards those bushes over there, " ANdrew pointed to the edge of the forest where it leads to the bridge, "wait until you see us take out the Tiger and then let them have it. Remember aim for the soldiers that are wearing caps, they tend to me the NCOs or officers."

"How can you be sure?" Fifteen asked.

"The SS tend to show off their wealth more than the Wehrmacht so they would wear more of their caps rather than their helmets. However, pay attention to their weapons as well. Many of their experienced soldiers will have sub-machine guns or their Sturmgewehr rifles. The lower rank and less experienced will be armed with bolt-action rifles. Also, watch out for MG42s when you make your move to the bridge. Any questions?" Andrew said. After seeing that no one had a question, he was about to move when he notices that Fifteen's hands were shaking. Andrew gave a sad smile. In his opinion, it was always an adult's responsibility that they go fight in war while protecting those who couldn't. Seeing Fifteen here, holding a rifle that was a almost as tall as her, fighting is something that broke Andrew's heart but right now he couldn't be picky but he did want to do something for her.

Andrew pulled Fifteen into a hug, which shocked everyone, and then whispered into her ear, "I swear that I will get you back home alive but i need you to be calm and focus on protecting your squadmates ok?." Andrew then looked at Fifteen and she saw in his eyes that he was being serious and then nodded her head.

"Alright then, let's move."

* * *

The SS soldier covered his mouth as he yawned. He hasn't slept in the past few days due to their unit moving all day and night to surround Aslone fortress. The Gallians have been pretty stubborn in that they have somehow successfully held up the German advance to their capital Randgriz. However, that was about to change. Under orders directly from the Kaiser himself, his unit the 5th SS panzer division was tasked with surrounding Aslone fortress so that they can attack the Gallians from behind, weakening their defenses so that the main German force can break through the defenses and then march forward to the capital. So far, only a company was able to make it this far while the rest are on their way. The soldier was right now standing guard near a house that his platoon have been using as a temporary ammo dump. The house has once belonged to a Darcsen family but they had taken cared of that. The SS soldier smirked at that. All Darcsens deserved death, for they were responsible for destroying most of europa hundreds of years ago. He had no sympathy for killing the family here, they deserved it anyway. He was standing guard near the entrance of the building when he saw another soldier, an Unterscharführer approach him.

"Hans, come with me. We need to guard the building on the other side. The side is fine since most of the platoon is already here but the back doesn't have anyone and there is a patch of tall grass there that the enemy can sneak up on us." Hans looked at the corporal and blinked.

'Sir, you can't possibly believe that the Gallians can attack us. They don't even know that we are here. Also, it's not like we can not handle them." The Unterscharführer then smacked Hans over the head.

"Didn't you listen during the briefing? Apparently the Gallians have their own SS now. They were spotted outside of Vasel a few days ago. Because of that, we should be more cautious than before. So, shut up and follow me." Hans nodded and followed the Unterscharführerl as they made their way to the back of the building. Meanwhile, Hans doubted that the Gallians can have their own SS. He has been fighting the Gallians for a week now and from what he saw, many of them didn't even have enough backbone to fight them head one. So, Hans just let the Unterscharführer freak out for nothing. They made their way to the back of the house and were shocked to see that someone was already there. Hans has been guarding the building all day and doesn't remember anyone else guarding the building.

"Hey, who are you?" The Unterscharführer asked. The man turned around and Hans saw that the man had covered his mouth with a black scarf and he was wearing goggles.

"Ah, corporal. I was wondering why our ammo dump was not being guarded." The man replied, his accent was a bit off to Hans and the Unterscharführer agreed with him as well as the Unterscharführer asked the man.

"Your accent sounds weird, where are you from?"

"Why, I am from Aachen. Why do you ask corporal?" Hans saw the Unterscharführer's hand twitched to his weapon when all of a sudden the Unterscharführer's hand stop and then his whole body started shaking. Hans turned and saw that a woman had appeared out of nowhere and had stabbed the Unterscharführer in the throat. Hans looked at the woman's uniform and saw that it was black like his but in a different design. It was then that he remembered what the corporal said and was now face to face with the Gallian's SS. However, Hans was slow to react as the man who was already there approached Hans and then stabbed him in the heart.

Hans' world became black but not before hearing the man say, " _Auf Wiedersehen Arschloch_ "

* * *

" _Auf Wiedersehen Arschloch."_ Andrew said to the now dead SS soldier. In all honestly, Andrew couldn't believe his luck. As Andrew and Thirteen were making there way to the house, a SS soldier exited the house for a cigarette. Andrew took this opportunity for a plan and pulled out his KaBar knife and waited for the SS man to turn his back on him and Andrew got out of the tall grass and stabbed the man behind the neck, snapping the spine with knife, killing the man instantly. He then quickly put on the man's uniform and was finishing up when the two other SS soldiers arrived. He turned around the face them and was trying to see a way to get them out of kill them when Thirteen had taken the initiative and killed the one that was reaching for his pistol while Andrew went to kill his friend who didn't react fast enough. Once Andrew killed the soldier, he signaled Thirteen and dragged the body into the tall grass to hide the body with Thirteen doing the same thing. Andrew debated about changing out of the SS uniform but decided against it. There was no time to change. They need to take out the Tiger now or else Kurt and the others will have a hard time taking on the SS commander and his security detail. Andrew signalled Thirteen to group up with him. The both of them stacked up near the back door but before they went in, Andrew asked Thirteen the question that was on his head for awhile.

'Why are the other team members hesitant with working with you Thirteen?" Thirteen looked up at him with a shocked expression. Andrew's hand was on the doorknob and was looking at her with determined eyes. He wanted to know the reason. Thirteen looked away and answered in a quiet tone.

"Can you say that again?" Andrew asked, not being able to hear what she said. Thirteen took a deep breath and repeated.

"My nickname is the "Grim Reaper". It's because in the five missions I took with the militia in the beginning of the war, I was the only survivor. Since then, it has been the same thing. The previous commander died because of me too." Thirteen said. Andrew looked at her before hitting on the head with his fist.

"Ow." Thirteen yelped.

'Idiot," Andrew said," if I remember correctly, the old CO to this unit was killed fighting on the outskirts of Vasel. And from what I heard from the report, that he sacrificed his life to save you. So, you are not to blame."

"But-" ANdrew raised his hand to hit her again so she stopped.

"Look, just to let you know. No.7 is actually worried you don't like him." Thirteen looked at Andrew with a shocked expression.

"What?"

"Yeah. After this battle is over, you should tell him about your nickname. That way he can figure something out about that. In the meantime," Andrew slowly opened the back door seeing that no one was downstairs. Inside, he was greeted with box upon box of stored weapons and behold, two Panzerschreck tubes were leaning on the wall. Andrew saw them and he began to smile.

"Let's get this party started."

* * *

Kurt was looking through the scope of the German sniper rifle and was wondering what was taking the other team so long. He looked over and saw that Twenty-One and Thirty-Two were side by side kneeling behind some bushes while One was hiding behind a small shed. She looked back at Kurt, giving him a blank look before turning her head back, giving him her version of letting him know she was ready. Kurt looked at his wristwatch and saw it has been ten minutes since he issued orders to Andrew and the other team but nothing has happened. Kurt was about to reach down to the radio until suddenly a loud explosion resonated through the air.

The Germans stopped what they were doing, wondering what just happened then suddenly the German commander began shouting orders. From the limited German that Kurt knew, it seems like Andrew and the others have engaged the enemy near the bridge. SS soldiers began gathering their weapons and heading towards the bridge. Kurt got on the radio to warn Andrew and the others.

"Twenty-Eight, you got enemy reinforcements coming your way. About fifteen infantry and one half-track is heading your way."

"Roger. There seem to be less SS than I thought. We will be ready for them." Kurt then turned around and saw that now only a platoon was with the SS command tank. If they were going to attack, now would be the time.

"Alright everyone, when I make the first shot, One will begin her attack on the farmhouse while thirty-two and twenty-one make your way to the windmill and climb down that ladder. Remember, thirty-two to hit the rear of the tank. The ragnite engine should be exposed so hit that and we will knock it out of commission."

"What about any crew members that escape the tank?" Twenty-One asked. Kurt thought about it for a moment before replying.

"We can't let anyone live to report about us being here. Kill everyone." Kurt answered. There was silence over the radio. Kurt thought that they wouldn't listen to the order until he heard twenty-one response.

"Roger." Kurt released a sigh of relief. He looked through his scope and aimed at a SS soldier that was directing some soldiers. Kurt inhaled, holding his breath and paying attention to his heartbeat. Once his heartbeat stopped for a brief moment, Kurt squeezed the trigger. The rifle recoiled a bit as the bullet exited the rifle and headed to the target. The SS soldier was yelling orders to his men, getting them ready for an impending attack when the bullet hit him square in the chest. The SS soldier recoiled, putting his hand on his chest and seeing the blood on it, he was in disbelief. Then he was hit again, this time in the head, blood and brain matter scattering on the ground as the soldier collapsed. This caused the remaining SS soldiers to get down, with one of them yelling that a sniper was in the area. Then an explosion occurred near the farmhouse, killing three SS troops trying to get ammo for a MG42. They turned and were surprised to see a lone soldier that many have never seen before rushing towards them. The soldier was screaming as she fired her weapon, bullets hitting two more soldiers before the remaining SS soldiers finally recovered from their surprise and began to fight back. then stopped in front of the farmhouse and just stood there firing at the Germans, keeping many of their heads down.

The SS commander, seeing the destructive force that this soldier can do, ordered his driver to go in reverse. The tank reversed, hiding itself in a small area where there was a squad of soldiers in defensive positions, taking cover behind sandbags with a MG42 set up and aimed at the general direction of the "super soldier".

However, unknown to any of the SS soldiers, the impending threat was not coming from the front but it was actually from the side. Twenty-One and Thirty-Two were crawling through the tall grass, moving slowly to get close enough for the lance anti-tank rocket to destroy the tank. The one disadvantage with the Lances is that while they are powerful, they are inaccurate unless you are really close to the enemy. Thirty-Two was crawling into position to fire on the rear of the tank when he accidently snapped a stray twig. Immediately one of the SS soldiers turned to the direction of the sound and said something in german that Thirty-Two couldn't figure out. Immediately, every SS soldier at the position turned towards the tall grass. Twenty-One and Thirty-Two immediately stopped their movement. Their heartbeat began to beat rapidly as the SS commander motioned one of his men to check it out. A SS soldier, carrying something that looked similar a sturmgewehr, began to approach the tall grass. Twenty-One began to prepare his Mags M4 submachine gun but just as he was about to cock the weapon, an explosion happened about 10 meters from the sandbags that the SS were using as cover. The SS reacted and reverted their attention to the front as they saw that the "super soldier" was heading to them now. They were also shocked to see that it was a Darcsen that had caused so much damage. That shock would cost two men their lives as One mowed them down with her weapon. The SS commander began shouting orders, the SS men began returning fire with his tank also firing a shell.

One ran, running past bullets and hearing the tank shell impacting the ground where she was standing a few minutes ago. She ran to an idle staff car. She looked over and saw that the tank's turret was swerving towards her. She pulled a lever with her right hand. As ammo compartment came up, she took a shell from her waist and twirled it. She loaded the shell into the compartment and shut it with her right fist. She was about to fire when she saw Thirty-Two stand up from the tall grass. SInce the germans were busy firing on ONe, they had completely forgot about the sound they heard. Now Thirty-Two took this opportunity to take action. He sighted the lance and with a press of a button, fired the lance towards the tank. The lance flew with a trail of smoke and hit the ragnite engine of the tank. This caused an explosion to occur, powerful enough to render the tank out of commission as well as killing many of those around the tank, and wounding others. The hatches opened and two crew members jumped out. Twenty-One got up and fired a burst, killing the two crew members. The SS commander got out and began firing randomly with his pistol. A crack was heard and the man's head exploded. Twenty-One turned back to see Kurt was now standing on the cliff overlooking the field and saw him kneeling while chambering another round.

"He's a pretty good shot." Twenty-One said.

"Not only that, his plan really worked and so far no one was hurt badly." Thirty-Two said, switching over to his Kar98K that he took from one of the dead germans. The machine gun crew, seeing as they are now surrounded, tried to turn the machine gun around to engage Thirty-Two and Twenty-One but were mowed down when One fired at them while they were distracted.

There was a eerie silence, with only the flames from the tank sizzling in the air. Kurt had climbed down using the ladder from the windmill, and met up with everyone.

"Is everyone ok?" Kurt asked.

"I'm ok. Not a scratch on me." Thirty-Two said, smiling.

"I'm fine." Twenty-One said, not wanting to show Kurt that he was actually amazed with how this battle turned out.

"Ok." One replied. Kurt looked them over and confirming it, had a small smile on his face.

"With the tank destroyed, our mission is a success." Kurt said. He then reached for his radio and clicked the transmission button.

"Twenty-Eight, this is Seven. The enemy commander's tank has been destroyed. What is your status?" There was a brief silence, with no response. Kurt pressed the transmission button again, this time with urgency.,

"Twenty-Eight, do you copy? Respond Over."

* * *

"Targeting the half-track! Firing!" The Nameless' tank's 88mm gun fired, the round impacting against the half-track's side, causing it to explode and covered in flames. Men inside began pouring out of the half-track on fire, screaming. Andrew sighted his Thompson and sprayed a burst, cutting them down. In another time, he would have just let them burn but from seeing so much death in Alaska and later in Russia has convinced him that ending someone's misery is a mercy to his enemies. He looked around and saw Fifteen and Twenty-Four were behind some sandbags with Fifteen firing a captured MG42 back at the Germans while Twenty-Four was supporting her, holding the belt so that Fifteen can focus on firing the machine gun. Andrew then looked and saw only about 8 soldiers left. His eyes went wide when one of the stood and pulled out a grenade. The SS soldier pulled the pin and threw the grenade just as he was hit by machine gun fire. The grenade flew and it went through Andrew's window and it landed right next to him. He looked over to Thirteen and screamed.

"Thirteen, GRENADE!" Andrew wasted no time and grabbed Thirteen and dragged her to a nearby closet as the grenade exploded. Both of them were able to get into the closet before the grenade exploded. As Andrew was getting up, he noticed something that was in the closet. There, in front of him, was a small desk with various radios. Andrew stood up and looked over the table. What he found surprised him. There were maps and plans for the SS' operation in regards for Fort Aslone as well as a code book which seemed to have the codes for the SS' communications for this operation.

"Well, this will be useful." Andrew said to himself. He then saw another folder. He picked it up and opened it. His eyes went wide from the contents in the folder.

"What did you find?" Thirteen asked behind him. Andrew immediately closed the folder and grabbed the other papers and maps.

"We need to take everything with us. Gather as much as you can carry." andrew instructed. Thirteen gave him a weird look but shrugged and proceeded to gather the materials. Just then Andrew finally noticed that Kurt was calling him over the radio.

"Twenty-Eight, do you copy? Respond, Over." Andrew pulled out the radio and responded.

"Twenty-Eight here." Andrew responded.

"What is your status?" Kurt asked. Andrew could tell he was a bit relieved due to how his voice changed a bit. Andrew looked out a nearby window to see that everything has quieted down with Fifteen and Twenty-Four relaxing against the tank with Gusurg standing in the commander hatch, looked up at Andrew and gave him a thumbs up.

"We are clear here. We better head back to camp and fast." Andrew reported.

"Why is that?" Kurt asked. Andrew looked back at the folder he was holding and reported.

"Because, we are about to have a lot more trouble heading towards us."

 _Auf Wiedersehen Arschloch= Good-Bye Asshole_

 **As always, if you have any questions, feel free to message me or leave a comment. See you guys next time.**


	16. Chapter 14: Grim Reaper and the Devil

Chapter 14: The Grim Reaper and the Devil

 **A/N:Valkyria Chronicles belong to Sega**

The group has returned to camp. Minus Kurt, andrew, Thirteen, One, and Gusurg, everyone was in good spirits. This has been their first battle where there were no casualties amongst the Nameless and some of the members also saw something else. This new commander and his second in command were quite skilled. Unlike their previous commander, who didn't really have much experience in tactics, these two knew what they were doing. As the Nameless' tank rolled into camp, it stopped in front of the command trailer and everyone got off to stretch and to take a break. Gusurg climbed out of the commander hatch and asked everyone with a slight smile.

"So what does everyone think? My recommendation wasn't bad was it?" Fifteen was the first to respond to him.

"I felt like our victory was destined from the beginning!" She replied happily. Thirty-Two went up to her side and nodded.

"No casualties or injuries! Who can remember the last time something like that happened?" He said.

"Captain, will all battles be like this from now on?" Fifteen asked, after placing her rifle on a nearby table. Twenty-One was shocked at how these three were able to just readily accept him as captain already.

"Hey! Something like this impressed you all?" Twenty-One asked. Andrew glared at him and was about to say something until Kurt grabbed his arm to stop him. Kurt then stepped further.

"No.21, if there's anything that you didn't like in the previous battle, would you mind telling me?" Kurt asked. Twenty-One was a bit surprised by what Kurt asked.

"What?" He asked Kurt. Kurt looked at him straight in the eye and continued.

"I still lack a lot of combat experience compared to Andrew here," He motioned to Andrew who nodded, "so there will be times that I don't satisfy everyone's desires. I will strive to improve myself, so that my mistakes don't show up in the next battle. Please speak up." Twenty-One looked at him stunned while Andrew and Gusurg had smiles on their faces.

"Knew he would be a good commander." Gusurg said. Andrew nodded.

"Yeah same. Kid's got leader written all over him." Andrew said and had to hold in a laugh as Twenty-One tried to respond with something.

"Er...something I wasn't satisfied with, uh….." Twenty-One stuttered. Thirty-Two entered in by patting Twenty-One on the shoulder and shaking his head.

"Just forget about it, one look at you and anyone can tell you don't have anything to say." Thirty-Two said. Thirty-Two looked over to Kurt and smiled.

"My name is Giulio Rosso, No. 32. I acknowledge you as captain." Giulio said. Fifteen, who was sitting on a crate stood up.

"If future battles are all just like that, then i will acknowledge you too. My name is Amy No.15, pleased to meet you!" Amy said, smiling and saluting Kurt.

"I didn't know No.7 and No.28 were stronger than Gusurg but that's fine with me! My name is Annika Alcott. Let me handle the missions!" Annika said enthusiastically. Gusurg smiled, seeing slowly that the members of the Nameless were accepting Kurt along with Andrew. Gusurg then looked to Fifty-Six, who was silent through the whole thing.

"No.56, what about you?" Gusurg asked.

"I still don't trust him." Fifty-Six answered, looking at Kurt with skepticism.

"No.56 is right. I still need more time to observe and decide." Twenty-One agreed with Fifty-Six. Kurt looked at both men and nodded.

"I understand, No.21. I don't expect all of you to accept me as your captain based on this one victory. No.56 and No.21 are perfectly entitled to their own opinions. But I must thank you for giving me the opportunity to prove myself once again." Kurt said. No.56 smiled a bit at these words.

"That kind of thing doesn't need thanks." No.56 said. Twenty-One cracked a smile as well.

"I don't really care, our mission was successful this time, and you show great enthusiasm!" No.21 said. Kurt nodded and was about to ask Andrew about what he found until Giulio cleared his throat.

"There is one thing. I don't want to participate with No.13 in battle." Giulio said.

"That's right, i don't want to die!" Amy said, worry laced in her words. Andrew eyebrows raised a bit. He remembered that they kept their distance with Thirteen and with what Thirteen told him, he honestly can't really blame them.

"Why do you talk like that about No.13?" Kurt asked. Annika looked at him with a shocked look on her face.

"Captain, don't you know? Isn't the "Grim Reaper" quite well known in the army?" Annika said.

"If you want to know the story, go ask No.13 herself." Twenty-One said. Kurt began to massage his head in thought.

' _I'll need to ask her later… Right now, I have people supporting me, there is still five, no, six left.'_ Kurt thought. Then he felt someone tap his shoulder. He looked over and saw Andrew there with a folder in his arm.

"Kurt, we need to talk…. Now."

* * *

"Headhunters?" Kurt asked. He was looking over the file that Andrew had collected from the battle on his desk, located inside a command trailer and apparently it was a file that detailed a specific SS unit that was operating in the area.

"They are basically a SS hit squad that hunts down any resistance forces against the Germania. The guy in charge is a Darcsen by the name of Iohan." Andrew said. Kurt looked at him with wide eyes.

"Why would a Darcsen align themselves with the Nazis and how did a Darcsen end up in the SS." Kurt asked, in disbelief that something like that can really be possible.

"Your guess is as good as mine. I never met the guy though I heard the stories about him. Hell of a shot too. But that isn't the only thing," Andrew reached over and pulled out a sheet a paper from the folder, "There seems to be a secret enemy supply base somewhere in the forest."

"Where is it?" Kurt asked reading through the paper.

"Unfortunately, we don't know. The paper only mentions a supply base for an offensive on Randgriz after they take Fort Aslone. However, they are going to move down this path," Andrew pointed to a spot on a map on Kurt's desk," we can place everyone on either side of the forest and wait. Once the convoy comes through, we hit them with anti-tank lances and grenades and take them out. However, we are going to need one of them alive."

"Alive?" Kurt asked.

"I want to interrogate him so that we can find that supply base and to find out where they are getting those upgraded weapons." Andrew said, crossing his chest. Before they can continue this conversation, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Kurt said. The door opened and Gusurg stepped in.

"Kurt, the last five members are waiting for you." Gusurg said.

"Alright, I will be right out." Kurt replied. Gusurg nodded and went outside, "Well, I guess we need to attack that convoy then. Right now, let's see if we can try and convince the rest of the squad to listen to me."

"Don't worry, I'm sure things will be fine." Andrew said.

* * *

"Please tell me you numbers." Kurt asked bluntly. Andrew smacked his head with his right hand.

' _I take it back. This might be a bit harder.'_ Andrew thought to himself. He looked up and as a bit surprised to see an old lady step up.

"No.3, are you disappointed in seeing a granny?" Three said. Andrew's eyed the old lady. She was wearing the standard Nameless uniform without all the armor and she has a bullet link wrapped around her upper body. She also has pistol bullets linked in a sort of a necklace that is dangling from her waist. She had a headband to hold her hair and she wore glasses and was holding a smoking pipe.

"Honestly, I am a bit surprised you are still alive the way you smoke." Andrew interjected. Three lit the pipe and took a smoke before replying to Andrew.

"Eh, I have been smoking for 40 years and I will continue to smoke until I die." Three said. Andrew just shrugged at that. He wasn't going to waste his time on it. Kurt however, had averted his eyes from Three's question.

"Mm… I was just asking for your number. Nothing more." Kurt said. Another member of the squad stepped up and addressed Kurt with a smirk.

"Hey hey, at times like these, you should be looking at a beautiful lady to gain other people's respect." The man said.

"Lady? I don't get what you mean by that." Kurt said, looking a bit confused. Then another member, a woman dressed in a corset and a short skirt with dark blue and black lingerie. It reminded Andrew of those French girls he saw in Paris.

"He's just an unfunny man." The woman said with a scowl on her face, "You're in need of some education, but you're quite lucky, since I'll be here with you." The man smirked at that and cleared his throat.

"Then I'm next, No.11, the beautiful spy… for I am the Gallian Falcon…" Eleven introduced himself. The man was dressed in the standard uniform but also additional had a sort of cloth that Andrew normally sees nobles wear.

"Bite your tongue! How dare a servant speak before a master! You've got some nerve!" the woman said with a scowl.

"No, no, no! You misunderstand, for a knight must always be in front of his queen." Eleven said. Andrew and Kurt's eyebrows raised from that statement. However, the woman had an angry look on her face from that answer.

"Didn't you just say you were a spy?! It looks like you need some education." And in a move that shocks both Andrew and Kurt, she pulls out a crop and then begins to whip Eleven. Andrew was about to grab the woman and ask her what the hell was she doing when he saw that Eleven had actually enjoyed it.

"O-ho, I guess this is only way a knight can serve his queen and remain strong…" Eleven moaned as she continued to whip him. Andrew and Kurt's jaws were dropped, confused as to what was going on.

"Ok, what the fuck is going on here?" Andrew said. Kurt nodded his head in agreement.

"Can someone please tell us, what the hell is going on?" Kurt asked. The woman stopped her torment on Eleven and looked at both Andrew and Kurt with a smile.

"I am No.23, the future queen of this continent. I will educate all of its worthless man!" Twenty-Three said, with hints of pride in her voice. Both men just continued to look at her with disbelief.

"What do you mean by that?" Kurt asked. Another soldier spoke up.

"Don't mind her, this squadron has all sorts of people. I am No.45, pleased to meet you." Forty-Five said. Forty-Five seemed to be the a normal soldier, in fact one look and Andrew can tell that Forty-Five is the real soldier out of everyone in the squadron. From looking in his eyes, he can see the fire and experience in those eyes but also he sees sadness. Just before Andrew can say anything, another voice pipes up.

"All sorts of people…. That's about right, everyone's different, just like history…" Another female soldier said. This soldier was wearing a something similar to a school uniform with a long-sleeve jacket over a white shirt and black tie. She also wears a skirt with black knee socks and brown boots. She had a red bob cut and is wearing glasses. Twenty-Three, being ignored for the time being, began to flush and get more mad.

"Hold on! Supporting actors better not steal my spotlight." Twenty-Three stated. The redhead smiled at the outburst.

"See, it's just like that. I'm No.12. I'll be quiet from here on out." Twelve said Twenty-Three continued to fume but didn't say anything after. Gusurg, seeing as all the introductions ending, told Kurt, "That is everyone." Gusurg then turned to everyone.

"I want everyone to know that thanks to Kurt, our last operation was a success, so why don't you follow his orders at least once." Gusurg asked the group.

"I have seen his battle records, they're quite good," Eleven stated then looked over to Andrew and smirked, "And you have quite the record yourself. I never would guess that the 'Devil of Juneau' would be fighting here." Andrew just shrugged.

"I am not as known as the 'Hero of Anchorage' but the nickname still had the same effect on Ivan." Andrew said.

"That being said, I guess I can give both of them a shot." Eleven said.

"All right, let me see just how worthless No.7 and 28 is, so that I know how much I need to educate them." Twenty-Three stated with a smirk.

"My body isn't very strong, I've always been sleeping, but this time… *cough* *cough*" Forty-five said before entering a coughing session, in which Andrew handed him a canteen which he took and took a drink.

"As my research is put on hold for now, I have no problems." Twelve replied, pushing her glasses up from slipping.

"I always thought Gusurg was most suitable for captain. All right then, let me see your moral fiber." Three said, smoking out of a pipe.

"So everyone is in agreement then?" Kurt asked, just making sure they all were on the same page. Gusurg nodded.

"Yes… these five members will be watching the result of the next battle closely. Don't mess up." Gusurg warned.

"I understand," kurt took a deep breath before giving out the order, "Our next mission will begin in a few hours. Everyone, prepare to move out!"

* * *

A baby porcavian was searching for food in a forest near the Fort Aslone. The little porcavian was sniffing in the air for for seeds or nuts. It walked a bit until it reached a road that would lead to a small village, It reached the road and then it stopped and looked up. What it saw was a human dressed in all black clothing. The human was holding something in his head that was round and was placing it on the ground. The human looked at the porcavian and reached over to pet it. The baby porcavian moaned from the human's touch until a voice called the human. The baby porcavian, being scared that it was something else, darted away, not wanting to know what it actually was.

* * *

"Aw, you scared the little guy away." Andrew told Kurt as he watched the porcavian run off. Kurt looked over to where the porcavian ran off to and shrugged.

"Anyway, As I was saying, are you done." Kurt asked.

"Almost, we are just placing some of the last mines." Andrew said looking over where they were laying the mines. The Nameless were placing anti-tank mines on the road to stop the incoming German convoy. Andrew saw Eleven and Twenty-Three placing mines on the road with their rifles over their shoulders. That imagine all of a sudden made Andrew remember a memory of his past. A memory of a battle that would forever etched in his mind as he was taken back to that day.

 _Juneau, Alaska February 26, 1932_

 _Andrew looked across the landscape and can see the rising black plumes of smoke rising in the distance. Most likely Juneau since right now his parent regiment, the 7th Marine Regiment along with the 5th and 1st Marine Regiment were doing everything they can to hold the Russians off. Andrew heaved a sigh and refocused on the mission him and his squad of marines were doing. Right now, they were suppose to mine this pass they were on with anti-infantry mines to prevent a flanking attack by the Russians. Before heading out on the mission, he instructed his me n to attach leaves and branches on their helmets. They used strips of inner tubes to hold them in place. He wanted to have a sort of camouflage just in case they need to hide from the Russians, they can at least somewhat blend in with the environment. The squad finally finds a good spot and Andrew begins issuing orders._

" _Alright, this is a good spot. Walker, Polinski, start planting the mines. Everyone else, watch your environment. Anything that isn't part of nature, shoot them the fuck up." Andrew ordered._

" _Yes,sir." Everyone replied as Walker and Polinski began to take out mines and setting them up while everyone spread out with their weapons, ranging from M1903 Springfields to M1 carbines with one armed with a BAR, pointed in various directions. Andrew had a M1 Garand pointed at a set of hills, scanning for targets._

" _Hey sarge, how come you got the new fancy rifle while we are using rifles our pa's used." One of his privates asked._

" _Well Jones, once you make Second Lieutenant then you can get first picks on rifles." Andrew replied with a smirk. It took Walker and Polinski around fifteen minutes to place the mines. Once everything was done, Andrew signaled his men to go. He took the lead as the squad followed him. Polinski was covering the rear, aiming his Springfield. Everything seemed to be going well when all of a sudden, gunshots rang out. Three bullets hit Polinski in the chest, blood spurting out from the exit wound. Everyone kneeled to figure out where the shots were coming from when all of a sudden, a company of Russians appeared from the hill and began firing on the marine squad. Andrew and the marines began firing back, taking down a few of the Russians but there were too many of them. One of the marines took a hit in the chest and while he was in shock another three bullets hit his chest and one hit his head. The marine was dead before he hit the ground. The Russians began throwing grenades, explosions occurring around the marines._

" _Everyone in the ditch now!" Andrew yelled as he squeezed three shots to kill two of the three intended targets. His squad jumped in a nearby ditch, using it as cover to return fire to the Russians. Andrew made it into the ditch and saw to his horror that Polinski was trying to stand up, his mouth open in shock._

" _Polinski, stay the fuck down!" andrew yelled. Polinski fell after a few steps but then got up again, even as bullets were flying around them.._

" _Don't move! Watch out for the mine!" Andrew yelled but it was too late. Because Polinski was in so much shock, he had no idea where his feet were going. So he stepped on the anti-infantry mine he had just explosion threw Polinski a few feet and he landed on his stomach. His screams joining the gunfire being exchanged between the Russians and americans._

" _Fuck! Ok, listen up," Andrew pulled two marines to him, "I want you two to get Polinski. I am going to distract them, when you see the fire lessen, get him out of here!"_

" _How are you going to distract them?!" One of the marines asked. Andrew looked around and saw that there were a couple of bushes on the other side of the road. A good position to take out the Russians without them noticing. Andrew pulled his sergeant, a Darcsen female, to his side._

" _Sergeant, you are in command for now! Cover me!" Andrew told her and then made his way to the position. She looked at him with a confused look until she saw where he was going._

" _Everyone, cover fire! Lay it on those sons of bitches!" She yelled, firing her M1 carbine. Everyone began firing as if it was going out of style, with some not even aiming. They took out a couple of Russians and forced the Russians to stop and try to take aim at the Marines. Meanwhile, Andrew finally made it to the position and saw that the Russians haven't noticed him. Andrew aimed his Garand rifle and sighted a nearby Russian firing a PSSH. He squeezed the trigger and saw the Russians head blow up from the bullet, killing him instantly. Andrew then looked for another target and fired three rounds, killing three Russians. The Russians were now confused and were losing their momentum. This gave the remaining marines time to get Polinski._

" _Everyone! Fall back! We are leaving!" Andrew yelled as he pulled out a grenade, pulled the pin and threw it and made a run for it. Andrew heard the explosion behind him but he didn't look back to see if he killed anyone. All he can look at was Polinski's screaming body and the area where his left foot would be. As Andrew continued to look at it, he heard his sergeant calling his name._

" _Andrew. Hey, Andrew'_

Gallia, Present day

"Andrew!" Kurt yelled, getting a bit nervous. Andrew was just staring into space for a while after Eleven and Twenty-Three finished placing the mines. Andrew blinked and turned around to face Kurt.

"Sorry, just remembering a bad memory." Andrew said. Kurt looked at him with a worried look.

"You okay?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's get in position. That kraut convoy is going to be here soon." Andrew said. Kurt looked at him for a bit and then nodded.

"You take the left side. I will take the right. Wait for my signal before shooting." Kurt said. Andrew nodded as he made his way to the left side. Once he reached there, he saw that his group consisted of Giulio, Three, Eleven, Forty-Five, Amy, Twenty-Three, and Twelve.

"Ok, listen up! We are to hold our fire until Kurt gives the word. Remember to pick your targets. Try to make every shot a kill. Oh, and make sure one lives. I would like to talk to them." Andrew stated. Everyone nodded and Andrew got into position next to Eleven and Twelve, taking out his Thompson magaziner to check if it's loaded and inserting it back in.

"No.28, may I ask you something?" Twelve asked Andrew. Andrew sighed and looked at her.

"Please call me Andrew if we are alone on an operation. I prefer my name." Andrew said. Twelve gave him a small smile.

"Andrew, may I ask you a question?" Twelve repeated.

"Go for it." Andrew answered.

"I read about you. You fought in the Russo-American War and fought in numerous skirmishes during the border Skirmishes, correct?" Twelve asked.

"I too would like to know. I have seen your record. During the battle of Juneau, you were given the title, 'Devil of Juneau'. Why is that?" Eleven interjected. Andrew sighed.

"During the battle, three marine regiments were defending the city from two Soviet armies. Juneau was the capital of Alaska and if it falls then Alaska would follow suit. With the main Soviet invasion force dealing with Anchorage, Soviet high command wanted to take the city to add salt to the wound if they took Anchorage. My regiment, the 7th, was the only surviving regiment to survive the battle and my nickname came from the city fighting near the end of the battle." Andrew replied, not taking his eyes off the road.

"But why devil?" Twelve asked. It was then that they heard the rumble of engines. The German convoy was coming.

"Because I killed around 200 Soviet soldiers in two days on my own, and the surviving Russian soldier called me 'дьявол'." Andrew answered.

"Дьявол?" Twelve said puzzled.

"It's the Russian word for devil." Andrew replied as he aimed his Thompson down the road, waiting for the Germans to come into view.


	17. Chapter 15: Gallian SS

Chapter 15: The Gallian SS

 **A/N: Valkyria Chronicles is owned by Sega, not me. I only own my OCs.**

The German SS commander was fuming. His company was pulled from the siege of Aslone for a secret mission. His company was to surround Fort Aslone and attack the fort from the rear, catching the Gallian defenders off guard and finally taking the fort. He was to link up with a secret supply depot that the SS had already set up and then head off to their positions. The commander had stayed at the supply depot for a bit while sending a platoon to secure key positions for the company to cross and set up. However, after leaving the supply base, he attempted to raise the platoon but so far he has been unsuccessful.

"Have we got any contact from the platoon yet?" He asked his radio operator. He was in his ShKfz 251/6 half-track and was the third vehicle of the ten vehicle convoy.

"No sir. I will keep trying." The radio operator replied. The commander scoffed.

"No need. We will be arriving to the bridge soon so we can ask them then. They might have a broken radio." The commander said as he stood up through the top hatch of the half-track. He looked over the convoy and saw the lead vehicle, a Panzer III Ausf.J, was maintaining a steady pace. He looked around and saw that they now were entering a forest. He got back down in the half-track and took the radio from the radio operator.

'All units, be cautious. We may have not seen any Gallians yet but we can't let that make us sloppy." The commander said.

"Do you believe that the Gallians can even do anything against us?" The driver of the half-track asked the commander.

"I don't believe so but they were able to retake Vasel so stay on your toes." The commander said. Just then, the tank suddenly exploded. The tank was lifted off the air for a few feet and then landed with a thud. This caused the convoy to stop.

"Goddamn it! The bastards are mining the roads." The German commander yelled. He then got on the radio again, "Everyone deploy. See if we can find anymore mines, and watch out this could be an ambush." He heard an assortment of "yes sir" and got up to see survey the damage. The tank was a fire pyre now and the second vehicle was a halftrack so they would either have to go around the tank or try and push past the tank. Regardless, this was another delay and he was getting more angry.

* * *

"Wait, until they deploy the rest of the infantry. Then we attack. No.32, fire your lance at the last vehicle of the convoy. We will box them in and then let them have it." Kurt said through the radio. Andrew picked up his own radio and added.

"Also, make sure to leave one alive, preferably that officer in the command halftrack. I want to ask him some questions." Andrew then rechecked his Thompson to make sure everything was in working order and aimed it at a SS NCO who was directing his men. The SS soldiers were exiting their vehicles and were setting up a perimeter. There was a squad moving up to the front with equipment and Andrew knew who these men are.

"Pioneers." Andrew muttered. Pioneers were German combat engineers who are equipped with metal detectors and as well as on occasion flame-throwers. In this case it was a squad of four pioneers and sure enough one of them had a flamethrower was attached to the back of one of the pioneers while another had a metal detector on his back.

"Kurt, they have engineers coming up. They are going to find the remaining mines. If we are going to attack, we might as well do it now." Andrew said. After a few minutes, he got a response.

"Alright, let's do this. Have Three and Thirty-Two to aim for the last two vehicles. We will try to force them forward and detonate the remaining mines." Andrew nodded and looked over to Three and Giulio. He signaled them to get ready and both of them nodded, preparing their Lancarr M4 launchers. Giulio went to take position near the last vehicle of the convoy and took aim. Three did the same and aimed at the second to last vehicle.

"We are ready." Andrew reported back to Kurt.

"Alright, commence the attack." andrew then looked over to his two lancers and nodded. Both Three and Giulio modded and then pressed a button and two lances made their way to the German convoy. The first lance hit the last vehicle, a truck, engulfing it with a blue and red flame and flipping the truck over. The second lance hit a half-track, killing the crew inside as well as a squad of SS troops. The remaining SS soldiers started to react quickly, firing their weapons to the area where the lances come from. A MG42 was placed on a soldier's shoulder while the gunner began firing. Andrew and his squad began firing back to cover Giulio and Three so that they can get to cover and soon they joined the fray, firing back with their Gallian M4 rifles.

However, while the SS troops were too busy engaging Andrew's squad, Kurt and the rest of the Nameless made their move. Kurt signalled to One and then with a yell, One charged the convoy and fired a rocket at one of the convoy vehicles, destroying it. The combined fire from the Nameless from both sides began to take a toll on the SS troops. Some of the drivers of the vehicles began to drive past the Panzer III to escape the ambush but what they forgot was that the road was mined. A halftrack went over a mine and exploded while another crashed into a truck that hit a mine, causing the two vehicles to be immobilized and targeted, the crews of both vehicles being killed.

"Why aren't they surrendering? They should know that there is no hope for them anymore." Amy said, reloading her rifle. Andrew was next to her as he emptied his Thompson, and began reloading the submachine gun.

"They're SS. They would rather die than face the dishonor of surrendering to anyone they think are below them." Andrew replied as he pulled the bolt to chamber a round in the Thompson. Andrew aimed his Thompson and then he noticed someone climbing out of a halftrack. Andrew recognized the medals on the man's chest and the rank on his shoulders indicating that man was an officer. Andrew grabbed his radio and pressed the transmission button.

"No. 7, I saw an enemy officer. I am going in." andrew didn't wait for a response as he then turned to his squad.

"Everyone cover me!" He yelled then he made a sprint to the enemy officer.

"What they hell is he doing?" Eleven asked. Giulio looked and saw the SS officer who was trying to get away.

"Looks like he found his prisoner." Giulio responded before firing his rifle at a German who was about to throw a grenade. Two bullets ripped through the soldier and the man crumpled to the ground. A few seconds later, the grenade exploded, throwing shrapnel all over the place.

Meanwhile, Andrew has made his way down to the convoy and the devastation around him stilled awed him. Bodies were all over the place, vehicles on fire, and Andrew saw a young SS soldier crawling, trying to get away.

" _At that moment, I felt sympathetic to that soldier. I am no stranger to seeing young boys dying in a war that was pointless and looking at the kid reminded me of many others that I saw during the war with Russia. But then I remember the situation and i had to focus on the mission. However, I was not going to let the kid suffer. Even though he was SS, he was still a human being. He didn't need to suffer a painful death." Andrew W. Vandegrift._

Andrew walked up to the solder and fired a burst into the his body. The soldier jerked and stopped moving. Andrew then focused on the task at hand and saw that the SS officer was using the destroyed vehicles as cover. Andrew ran towards the man and then tackles the man to the ground. The SS officer tried to punch Andrew to get him off but Andrew then points his Thompson at the officer. Seeing the barrel of the submachine gun pointed at him, the man raised his hands.

" _Schieße nicht Ich gebe auf._ " The SS officer said. Andrew then heard over the radio Eleven's voice.

"No.7, it seems like we have wiped out the convoy. No.28 seems to have captured a prisoner."

"Alright, with the destruction of the convoy, our missions is a success. Everyone, return to camp." Kurt replied.

* * *

" _Wie viele Männer sind an der Versorgungsbasis?"_ Andrew asked the SS officer. After getting back to the camp, Andrew brought the SS officer to a separate part of the camp where no one can see, specifically a tent on the far side of the camp. Him along with Kurt were there to see if they can get any information out of the SS officer. Sadly, the SS officer seemed to not want to cooperate.

"Ich werde dir nichts sagen gallischen hund. _"_ The SS officer growled. Andrew sighed, trying to calm down the growing frustration but failed as he curled his hand into a fist and punched the SS officer. The officer recoiled from the hit and then spit out blood onto the ground. Kurt meanwhile was standing near the entrance.

"I take it he is not cooperating." Kurt asked. He didn't know much German outside of hello and good-bye but he can tell from both men's body language that things were not going well.

"Well, they are known to never give up any information but I am going to test that. Looks like I am going to need more time. By the way, you know what he called us a few minutes ago?" Andrew asked kurt.

"What did he say?" Kurt asked.

"When I was trying to pry info out of him, he called me ' _Gallische_ _Schutzstaffel_ '." Andrew said.

" _Gallishe Schutzstaffel?"_ Kurt asked.

"Gallian SS. Apparently, our uniforms closely resemble that of the SS. Kind of a nice nickname if you ask me. It can demoralize their troops when they find out." Andrew said, massageing his knuckles.

Go meet up with everyone else. I will catch up." Andrew said as he cracked his knuckles. Kurt nodded.

"Alright. What are you going to do with him when you are done?" Kurt asked, though he knew the answer.

"What do you think?" Andrew replied, not looking over at Kurt. Kurt took this as a sign and left. Andrew then redirected his attention to the SS officer.

" _Nun denn mein lieber Kapitän, lass uns unsere Diskussion fortsetzen?"_ Andrew said as he had a wicked smile on his face while pulling out his Kabar knife.

While Andrew began his more "enhanced" interrogation, Kurt made his way to the mess tent. Before, Gusurg told Kurt that he would gather everyone in the tent while Kurt and Andrew dealt with the prisoner. It was so that Gusurg could ask everyone about their thoughts. Kurt entered the tent to see that everyone was present in the tent. Gusurg saw Kurt and nodded to him then turned to the group.

"Ok, I want to now hear what everyone thought about the last battle since I already let you all know mine." Gusurg said.

"It was better than I expected. Every order was precise and without mistake from where to plant the mines to who we should target to even gathering any serviceable weapons." Twelve brought up. Forty-Five nodded in agreement.

"I thought we could have engaged them sooner but overall is was alright too." He commented. However, not everyone was impressed from this first battle with the new commander.

"Not good enough, there's still room for improvement." Three answered. Even with this negative criticism Gusurg smiled a bit.

"But it's still better than my command, isn't it?" Gusurg asked. Three thought about it for a minute before replying with a smirk.

"Hm, you still must drive the tank, so holding two positions would be too difficult. Better to let him lead." Gusurg nodded at this answer and then looked over to Eleven and Twenty-Three.

"Oh, beautiful queen, what's your assessment?" Eleven asked Twenty-Three with a smirk.

"He didn't start fierce enough. Like what Forty-Five said, we should have engaged earlier. However, once I hit the field, then victory was certain for us." Twenty-Three replied. Kurt then looked at Twenty-Three in the eyes.

"I too am not satisfied with our current results, we will need to perform even better." Kurt said. Twenty-Three was a bit surprised by that answer given how in the past her commanders would usually berate her for questioning their orders. With the new commander, he is able to admit that even he had to learn and that caused Twenty-Three to be a bit impressed.

"That's the right thing to say." Twenty-Three responded with a small smile. Eleven then stepped up.

"Everyone's spoken their mind so I think the answer is obvious." He said. He then cleared his throat and introduced himself to Kurt.

"No.1, Alfons Auclair. Please call me the Gallian Falcon." Alfons said. This caused twenty-Three to get red with anger as she looked at Alfons with a shocked look.

"Such insolence! Once again, you introduced yourself before me! Manners! Manners! Manners!" She yelled before taking her crop and hitting alfons three times. Again, Alfons was unfazed by this.

"Oh! These are more effective than the enemy's bullets!" Alfons said excitedly, which still confused kurt but not so much as before. After that Twenty-Three looked back at Kurt and smiled a bit.

"I don't acknowledge you, because No.7 still needs to be trained." She stated. Kurt stared at her with determination in his eyes.

"I don't plan on compromise. I will become the best there is, until you recognize me." Kurt stated. Twenty-Three then laughed and turned around to go back to her spot, which was a seat near the entrance to the tent but then turned her head back with a smirk on her face.

"I like a man like you, I'll be sure to educate you properly…" Twenty-Three stated. After that, Forty-Five stepped up to introduce himself.

"No.45, my name is Serge Liebert. I will follow your orders, captain." Serge said with a cheerful smile on his face. Next came Twelve.

"No.12, Valerie aynsley." Valerie said with a small smile before adjusting her glasses and continuing, "I'll use a historian's neutral mindset to evaluate your performance." Kurt nodded at this and then turned to look at Three. Three pulled out a pipe and began to light it. After taking a few huffs, she gave her answer.

"I'll reserve judgement. The suspicions of the elderly are quite heavy." Three stated. Kurt nodded then looked over to Gusurg.

"Then over half of the squad has accepted me. I expect this means you'll accept me as your captain?" Kurt asked. Gusurg closed his eyes in thought before responding.

"Giulio, Amy, Annika, Alfons, Serge, and Valerie. I you add me and Andrew, then out of the squad's fourteen people, you have eight people supporting you." Gusurg stated.

"That is just about enough…. But just as a precaution, I'd like to add just one more person." Gusurg said, knowing who he wants to add but then smiled, "I don't think that will be necessary, I think she'll acknowledge you." Kurt was a bit confused by this but before he could ask, he heard running footsteps. He turned to see Andrew enter the tent out of breath.

"That was quick. Did you get him to talk?" Kurt asked. Andrew looked up to him and smiled.

"Not only that I got the location and who is in charge of the base."

* * *

"Hero Princess?" Kurt asked. Kurt was standing over a map in the command tent with Andrew, Gusurg, and Thirteen which Gusurg had insisted to have along with this briefing. Kurt didn't understand why but Andrew had this smile on his face but refrained from saying anything regarding it. Hopefully, in time Kurt would see it.

"That is the name that the SS officer gave me before he went into a 'permanent nap'. Unfortunately, I don't know who that nickname belong to as well. All I really know is that the person with that nickname wiped out an ALF cell, preventing them from executing their plan to attack civilians apparently but I think it's just bullshit." Andrew stated. He looked up and saw everyone giving him confusing looks.

"Do any of you ever heard of the ALF?" Andrew asked.

"It rings a bell. I think I heard some mentions of it back at the academy." Kurt said. Andrew sighed

"Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Well the ALF is short for the Archanean Liberation Front. They apparently consist of the remaining members of the old Archanean Imperial family. You guys know who they are right?" Andrew asked. Receiving no answer, he continued.

"They are basically the family that ruled Germania before the Nazis eventually took power from them. They are now only mentioned in the history books but apparently the descendants of that family began a resistance movement in Germania. Anyway, rumor has it that the ALF had planned to attack a speech that was being given by a CEO of a company that used Darcsen slave labor. However, this person somehow got wind of it and stopped it. There were no survivors from the ALF. That person was given the nickname 'Hero Princess' but amongst the resistance cells in Germania, they gave the person the nickname 'Massacre Princess'." Andrew summed up. Kurt looked at the map and the area where the supply base is. Apparently, the Germans were using a castle as the main supply base.

"Anything else that the SS officer said?" Gusurg asked.

"He stated that along with a SS security unit, there is another unit there and that is the one that is worrying me a bit." Andrew stated.

"What unit is it?" Thirteen asked, curious as to who this you unit might be that makes even Andrew nervous. There was a brief silence until Andrew took a deep breath and answered.

"It's the 88th Special Forces Unit also known as the Glinda Knights." Andrew answered. Kurt's eyes went wide a bit.

"Wait, so there is a knight unit at this base." Gusurg asked, shocked.

"Normally, they are used for resistance cells and they are here to help out the Headhunters with their mission. What that mission is I don't know but we need to hit that base soon. It appears that they have orders to leave and abandon the base if they don't hear back from the unit we ambushed by tomorrow afternoon." Andrew stated.

"Isn't that a good thing? Without that base, they won't be able to launch an attack on Aslone." Gusurg stated. Andrew shook his head.

"They would direct those supplies somewhere else, causing more casualties. I recommend we hit that base tomorrow before they leave." Andrew suggested. Kurt looked at the map, he saw that leading up to the castle there was a forest so they can utilize the forest as cover to approach the base. So a daylight operation is possible but they don't know the location of their defenses like machine guns, if they rushed in during daylight…

"We will launch the attack tonight." Kurt declared. Everyone looked at him wide-eyed.

"They aren't expecting an attack from us so if we do it tonight, we would have the element of surprise on our side." Kurt explained.

"We will have to move out soon it's already 1800. That means we have to brief everyone while they are eating." Andrew stated.

"You and Gusurg do that," Kurt then turned over to Thirteen, "Thirteen I would like to speak for you a little bit." this caught Thirteen off-guard since ever since Kurt has arrived, he hasn't really made an effort to really talk to her. So Thirteen has thought that Kurt has been avoiding her. However for Kurt, it was just that he has been busy that he hasn't really talked to her and he noticed that when he was around she would get nervous and usually not look him in the eye making him think that she didn't like him.

Andrew looked between the two and then looked over to Gusurg who nodded.

"Well, in that case we will be leaving." Andrew stated. He then grabbed Gusurg and dragged him out of the tent but before leaving Andrew added, "Have a good conversation you two."

* * *

There was a deafening silence in the tent after andrew left, neither Kurt nor Riela saying anything. Finally Thirteen broke the silence.

"I thought…. You were purposefully trying to avoid me?" Thirteen said. Kurt was a bit confused by the statement since it was never his intention to avoid her.

"Do you dislike speaking to me?" Kurt asked. Thirteen looked him surprised.

"It's not like that! It's just…" SHe looked away from him, "most people don't like me." Kurt then remembered something that Twenty-One told him about.

' _Before I can get her to acknowledge me, I should probably ask her that question.'_ Kurt thought as he closed his eyes in thought.

"No.13, I know that you've been trying to hide your nickname, the 'Grim Reaper.'." Kurt said, his eyes still closed. He then opened his eyes and looked directly into Thirteen's eyes.

"I want to know why everyone told me to come ask you about it personally. Even Andrew told me to ask you personally. So, can you tell me?" Kurt asked. They looked at each other for a bit before Thirteen responded.

"In the squads that I used to be in, we would get annihilated to the person. This happened five times," Thirteen then looked away as a sad look appeared on her face again, "As the sole survivor, everyone thought that any squad I joined was doomed, hence the nickname 'Grim Reaper'"

"Why did they call you the "Grim Reaper" based on that?" Kurt asked, a bit confused. Thirteen looked at him in confusion.

"Eh?" She answered, not knowing what else to say.

"There's no connection between you being in a squad and the squad's defeat." Kurt said matter of factly. Thirteen was shocked a bit but she recovered and answered him.

"But the fact that they were annihilated is a fact." Thirteen stated.

"That fact is no reason for all the blame to be placed on you. If someone believes that, and doesn't let you fight, then that commander should be fired." Kurt said. However, those words did nothing to eliminate Thirteen's guilt.

"But everyone…" Thirteen started but stopped when Kurt held up his hand to stop her.

"You will fight with me in the next battle. We will break this curse." Kurt stated. Thirteen looked at him wide eyed.

"Eh?!" She gasped, not believing what she just heard.

"We are about to undertake a mission soon and you will be with me for this operation as a part of my squad." Kurt stated. Thirteen didn't know what to say but then another voice chimed in.

"I am being a part of this squad too." Kurt and Thirteen turned to see Andrew leaning on a pole inside the tent.

"But…" Thirteen started to say but stopped.

"Look, like I said before your previous comrades sacrificed themselves either for their country or to protect you so you are not to blame. I am just glad you guys finally cleared up this misunderstanding." Andrew said. He then looked over to Kurt.

"The squad is waiting for you. They are wondering how we are going to assault the supply base at night?" Andrew stated. Kurt rubbed his chin in thought. After about a couple of minutes of thinking, Kurt snapped his fingers.

"I have a plan but it is one you are not going to like."Kurt said to Andrew. Andrew raised his eyebrows at that statement.

"Well, I have dealt with stupid orders. It can't be that bad." Andrew said.

* * *

"ARE YOU COMPLETELY INSANE?!" Andrew yelled. The entire Nameless squad was in the mess tent, where everyone was eating their dinner when Andrew and Gusurg entered and told them about a mission. Since there really wasn't a plan at the time everyone was a bit confused by this. Now, after what Kurt just said, their thought of this new mission went from confusion to shock.

"I told you you wouldn't like it," Kurt said then continued, "to summarize, tonight's mission will have No.13, No.1, and Andrew here form a small squad to attack the supply depot." The entire squad was just silent. All of them know Thirteen's nickname and have seen it themselves from their previous battles as well.

"The previous captain died because he was with No.13 during a mission…" Amy stated, worry slated in her words.

"We had five complete annihilations involving our commander when this war started and that is because she was with them. You want to be the sixth captain to die? You are mad." Fifty-Six stated. Thirteen heard all of this and began to feel resigned. She knew that this wasn't going to work out.

"See… You should forget about it…" Thirteen said, not wanting to push Kurt into forcing himself to working with her. Kurt looked over everyone and gave them a stern look.

"Let me tell you, this small squadron can't spare a single individual. If you want to stop No.13 from fighting, I have but one condition." Kurt said.

"Condition?" Fifty-Six asked.

"I'll need someone to do the share of two people; someone to scout stealthily and achieve her objectives. If someone can do that, then I won't let No.13 fight. Is there anyone here capable of doing that?" Kurt asked, looking around waiting for someone to step and and actually say that they would do the work of two people. Kurt saw Twenty-Three stand up.

"There's a guy who has the body weight of two people." Twenty-Three joked, motioning to Alfons.

"I'm sorry to say, but even with me, I'm only 1.8 times the weight, still wee bit short of twice." Alfons responded, with a somewhat annoyed look on his face. Number Three chuckled at this.

"One person can't possibly do the work of two. After all, we only have two arms and two legs.!" Three stated. Not hearing anymore answers, Kurt cleared his throat.

"Then it's settled. Prepare to move out!" Kurt stated. Andrew, who had been silent due to the shock of the plan finally snapped out of it and stepped in.

"Hold up, hold up. Let's go back to that plan of yours. You want one squad to attack on the base. Granted, we can pull it off but we will still be surrounded by some pretty pissed off Germans the moment we blow up that supply depot." Andrew stated.

"We will have the element of surprise on our side. Plus, like you said it is a supply base for their future advance to Randgriz. Which means that there shouldn't be that many soldiers there because they don't want us knowing." Kurt replied. Andrew sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"That is true. But, there is that knight unit and plus a SS security unit is still a tough unit Also, something I forgot to mention is that there is apparently a castle in the area that they are using as a sort of barracks for the unit. The supply base is outside in the front of the castle. I assume there are patrols and hell even searchlights overlooking the supply base with machine guns aimed out to fire on any intruders." Andrew stated. Kurt thought about it for a minute. Then he pulled out a map from his jacket pocket and placed it on the table.

"Where is this base?" Kurt asked. Andrew walked over to the table and looked at the map for a few minutes before pointing at a spot.

"There, about 5 miles from the fort. The castle there belonged to a Gallian noblemen but he fled before the Krauts reached Aslone." Andrew stated. Kurt looked at the map. He then noticed something. Leading up to the castle, was a small path. The path was covered by trees and bushed and it leads directly to the supply base.

"We can take this path to enter the base." Kurt pointed out. Andrew looked at the location.

"It looks like it's covered by a lot of foliage but we can't know for sure if they have patrols in that area until we get there." Andrew stated. Kurt just looked at him and Andrew knew what he meant.

"Fine. But if I am going out there, I am taking Thirteen with me." Andrew stated.

"Eh?" Thirteen gasped. Andrew looked over to her and smiled.

"We got to prove that nickname as false sometime. What better way than a night scouting op before we attack a supply base."

Schieße nicht Ich gebe auf= Don't shoot, I give up.

Wie viele Männer sind an der Versorgungsbasis?= How many men are at the supply base?

Ich werde dir nichts sagen gallischen hund.= I won't tell you anything Gallian dog.

Gallishe Schutzstaffel= Gallian SS

Nun denn mein lieber Kapitän, lass uns unsere Diskussion fortsetzen?= Well, my dear captain, let us continue our discussion?

 **As usual, if you have any questions, feel free to message me or leave a review. Until next time everyone.**


	18. Chapter16:No plan survives first contact

Chapter 16: No plan survives first contact

 _Secret Nazi Supply base outside of Fort Aslone_

 **Disclaimer: This was written for entertainment purposes only**

"So, you failed is what you're saying correct?" Iohan Comescu gritted his teeth. He was currently in the command room of a supply base that is temporarily being used to supply an SS operation to surround Fort Aslone as well as being the base for the operation he was a part of. Right now, we was being reprimanded by the person in charge of said operation. He usually doesn't let criticism get to him but this time is the exception. For the first time in his career with the Nazi's Counter-Insurgency Force, he has failed a mission and that was a big deal due to one very important reason. Iohan Comescu is a Darcsen. Due to the harsh laws that the Nazis implemented, Darcsens are barred from joining the military. However, with Iohan, it was different. He was recruited by the kaiser himself to join the SS and to avoid being killed, he took up the offer. SInce then, he has built a reputation of never miss his target and leaving no survivors.

This recent mission has been the exception.

"As I have said before, she got lucky. I will find her soon." Iohan stated. His target, Lucina, is the leader of the resistance group Archanean Liberation Front. Intelligence stated that she and her security detail had crossed the border and entered Gallia to possibly hand over information on the German invasion force as well as most likely offer help to disrupt the German forces in the rear. This would push the timetable for the invasion and that was not something that command wanted. Also, because Lucina was leading what in Germania is considered a "terrorist organization" the Inquisition, the Nazi equivalent of the American's O.S.S, wanted her.

"It's 'I will find her soon my highness' to you." Another voice said. Iohen glared towards to source of that voice. The person was standing in the corner and judging from the attire was a knight. It was a woman of 17 of age, wearing a unique uniform that consists of a buttoned sleeveless shirt, a long-sleeved jacket, and a black and red corset and skirt combination worn over a short white skirt. She was also wearing a military cap on over her blond hair tied up to have two ponytails on either side of her head. Her name was Oldrin Zevon.

"Listen here knight, I can give a damn about correct wording. I just get the job done. Piss me off and I could have you like that." Iohan said, snapping his fingers.

"I believe that will result in a rather unpleasant situation for you." The same voice from before stated. Iohan looked over to look into the eye of the person that was in charge of this entire operation. This person was Marrybell mel Britannia. A daughter of one of the consorts that the former Kaiser, Charles vi Britannia had, she was in charge of the Inquisition thanks to her half-brother Byzantium giving her the position. Right now, she was dressed in her usual attire which consists of a low-cut pink dress with red and black details with gold-ish lining and what appears to be white wings attached to the back of the aforementioned dress. She has spanish pink hair, tied into a ponytail. Her violet eyes were looking into Iohan's eyes and the both of them stared at each other, seeing if one would say anything until finally Iohan caved in.

"Yes, your highness." Iohan said. Marrybell smiled a bit.

"Good. Back to business, Lucinia escaping is going to be a problem for us. She is probably on her way to the Gallian main headquarters and there is nothing we can do to stop that. I would like to know what stopped you?" Marrybell asked.

"It was a militia squad that apparently had an interesting member in them." Iohan said.

"And who would that be?" Marrybell asked.

"Your half-brother's best man." Iohan stated, with a smirk. Marrybell's eyes widened.

"That American?"" she said, surprise in her voice.

"Yup, also a squad of Gallian fighters strafed us as well. So you can see that I was in a dilemma." Iohan stated. Marrybell thought about it for a minute before responding.

'Well, since aircraft was also in play, I can't really punish you since we were told that the airspace would be in our control," Marrybell thought for a minute before continuing, "Very well, you get off this once. However, do not let this happen again." Marrybell stated.

"Yes, ma'am." Iohan said, not wanting to use that term that her knight stated. This of course didn't go unnoticed by Oldrin. She was about to say something until there was a knock on the door.

"You may enter." Marrybell said. The door opened to reveal a woman with dark skin and white hair. She was wearing the same uniform as Oldrin, signalling that she was from the same unit.

"What is it Toto?" Marrybell asked.

"Your highness, we still haven't received any word from the SS units that left. We don't know what happened. They last reported this morning but after that, nothing but static." Toto reported.

"They might have some radio problems. Keep trying to raise them Toto." Marrybell stated.

"Yes, my lady." Toto said, bowing before leaving the room. Iohan began to rub his chin in thought.

"What are you thinking Iohan?" Oldrin asked.

"There shouldn't be any problem with their radios. They checked their equipment before leaving. Everything was in working order." Iohan stated.

"It may have broke on their way to their mission objective." Marrybell suggested. Iohan shook his head.

"Our equipment is top of the line. Plus, they had been tested already so there shouldn't have been any problems." Iohan stated.

"What are you suggesting?" Oldrin asked.

"Haven't we got reports that the Gallians had their own SS unit?" Iohan asked. Oldrin looked over to Marrybell who nodded.

"I don't know if it's them but they might have wiped out our forward units." Iohan suggested. Marrybell and Oldrin's eyes widen.

"That's impossible! There is no way that can happen. Even if such a unit existed, we know they are vastly depleted so they couldn't engage those units unless…" Oldrin trailed off, knowing what exactly might have happened.

"Unless they were both ambushed." Marrybell finished. She then stood up and made her way to the door.

"We have to assume that they know we are here. We need to evacuate the base now."

"Hold on for a minute ma'am." Iohan said. Marrybell and Oldrin looked at him, " We may not have to evacuate the base. I see an opportunity here."

"And what would that be?" Oldrin asked.

"Well, if they know about this base and that they know we would evacuate the base if we didn't hear back from the forward units then this means they are coming tonight." Iohan said.

"What are you suggesting?" Marrybell asked, curious as to what the SS man was suggesting. Iohan smiled a wicked smile in response.

"We are going to show this Gallian SS that they are no match with the real deal."

* * *

"Well, seems good so far." Andrew stated. Andrew along with Thirteen were taking the forest path to the supply base. So far, everything has been going pretty well. They have yet to run into a patrol and that was causing Andrew to feel a bit concerned.

"We should have run into someone by now." Andrew said.

"Maybe, they don't know about this path since it is pretty hidden." Thirteen said. Andrew shook his head at that.

"They probably have a map of the area, so they must know about this path or else they are really that overconfident." Andrew stated. Andrew squinted his eyes.

"I can barely see in this darkness." Andrew said. Thirteen nodded.

"We could use a flashlight." Thirteen suggested. Andrew shook his head.

"It would give away our position. Let's keep going." Andrew stated. The both of them continued down the path. As they continued to make their way to the supply base, they still have yet to encounter a patrol.

"Ok, this is a bit weird." Andrew stated.

"Maybe they don't want to send any patrols out in case they run into a Gallia patrol." Thirteen suggested. Andrew thought about it for a minute.

"That might be the case. Anyway, we should be coming up to the base right about now." Andrew said as the both of them finally reached the supposed supply camp. What they saw surprised the both of them. The supply base was there but it seemed like it was practically empty. There were no guards, no vehicles, nothing. Even the castle was pitch black, the searchlights turned off.

"What the hell?" Andrew exclaimed. He looked around to see if there were anybody but it seems like no one was there. Andrew turned to Thirteen.

"Go back to Seven. Tell him to bring One with him as well. Something doesn't seem right. Go!" Andrew ordered. Thirteen nodded and rushed back to their squad's position, about 15 meters away. There waiting for her was Kurt and Number One.

"It seems to be all clear." Thirteen reported.

"Seems to be?" Kurt asked.

"Well, it looks like there is no one in the supply base. Even the castle seems to be empty." This caught Kurt's attention.

"Empty?"

"Exactly, Twenty-Eight is a bit suspicious about it but he wants you and One to come up as well." Thirteen reported. Kurt thought about it. If the Germans know that they are coming then it could be a trap. However, it could be possible for them to not have any lights or activity in fear of alerting the Gallians and if that's the case then…

"Ok, let's move up." Kurt said. He then reached for his radio.

"Six, we are moving up. You are in command of the squad. If anything happens, wait for my signal before making any move." Kurt instructed.

"Roger. We will be waiting." Gusurg responded. Kurt then looked over to One and Thirteen and nodded. The three of them made their way towards andrew. After making their way through the pathway, they met up with Andrew, who seemed to be looking for something.

"Anything?" Kurt asked Andrew.

"Nothing. This is weird. I mean, I can understand that they don't want to attract attention but this is not normal. I mean there should be like at least some lights or something but I see nothing." Andrew stated. Kurt looked around himself and Andrew was right. There was no movement, no lights, there was nothing.

"Do you think we should move up?" Kurt asked Andrew.

"It's hard to say. I mean, either they emptied this base and all we are seeing is empty buildings or they are here and just have a blackout policy." Andrew tried to see if he can see any lights but still nothing. He then turned to Kurt.

"I say we look around for a bit and if the supplies are there then we blow them up but if it's empty then we get out of here." Andrew suggested. Kurt thought about for a few minutes then nodded and turned towards Thirteen.

"We will check it out. Do you have the satchel charge Thirteen?" Kurt asked. Thirteen nodded and revealed the satchel charge slung around her shoulder.

"Alright, Twenty-Eight lead the way." Kurt ordered. Andrew nodded and then advanced towards the camp but advanced slowly. Andrew was having suspicions but can't put his finger on it. Following andrew, One was behind, then Thirteen, then finally by Kurt. The group reached the supply base and it looked like it was out of a horror novel. The entire base was empty. There were a couple of hastily erect buildings along with tents but it looks like there was no one here. However, what caught the groups attention was a campfire that was in the center of the base. It looked like a group was in the middle of having dinner, with utensils and plates of food scattered around the campfire. Andrew approached one of the cups that was sitting on a seat and touched it.

"This cup is still a bit warm. That means they didn't leave that long ago." Andrew stated. Kurt looked around and didn't feel right.

"Or they could be somewhere else." Kurt said. He looked around but he really couldn't see anything. No one wanted to turn on a flashlight to alert anyone if they were still here.

"Ok, first things first, let's see if there are any supplies left." Kurt ordered. Thirteen walked up to one of the buildings and opened it's door. She pulled out a flashlight and turned it on to see what was inside. What she found was box upon box of of supplies. Varying from ammunition to boxes with weapons in them, it seems like Thirteen found the supplies they were after.

"Seven, I think I found the supplies." Thirteen reported.

"Funny, seems like we found the supplies as well." Andrew said as he and One had opened doors to the other building and found the same thing.

"Ok, start setting up the explosives. Move quickly everyone, I don't want to stay here longer than we have to." Kurt instructed.

"On it boss." Andrew stated. He then motioned to One who approached him and handed him a bag full of explosives she was carrying. Andrew began setting up the explosives around the building. As he was setting up one of the bombs, he heard Thirteen call out.

"I'm all done here Seven." Andrew's attention perked at this. It took her little time to set up the right amount of explosives in her building, showing that she is quite skilled with explosives.

"I wonder what she did before all of this." Andrew asked himself. He was finally setting up the last explosive when something in one of the boxes catches his eye. After setting up the wires, he moves towards the boxes and opens it. Inside were a set of what looked like the sturmgewehr rifles that the Germans always boasted about being the next generation of firearms but these looked a lot different. These rifles looked more beefed up, with the sights being the same as the sturmgewehr. What caught Andrew's attention was what was under the barrel. There seemed to be some sort of foregrip that would allow the shooter to stay on target while firing the weapon. Kind of similiar to what his Thompson has.

"Well, you look interesting. I think I'll take you with me." Andrew said to himself. He looked around to find a box filled with ammo for the rifle. He began to gather some ammo and slung the rifle. Just as he was about to head out, all of a sudden lights were turned on outside and Andrew froze. He then heard Kurt's voice over the radio.

'Twenty-Eight, we have a problem." Then another voice was said through the loudspeaker.

"Soldier in the building, we have your friends! Come out with your hands in the air!" Andrew gritted his teeth. How the hell were the Nazis able to surprise them? Andrew couldn't think too much about it as he assumes that they were probably always here but waited for the right moment.

"Fuck." Andrew cursed as he came out with his hands up. He was blinded by the light for a bit but then his vision adapted to the light and he saw what was him and his squadmates are up against. Surrounding them were SS soldiers wearing camouflage uniforms rather than their traditional black uniforms but the SS closer to the castle were in fact wearing their trademark black uniforms. Near the castle and on the castle walls were individuals that were not wearing the traditional uniforms of the German military. These individuals were wearing a black trench coat over what looked like a business suit underneath it. On their heads was a black fedora on their heads and all of them had a grey armband with a white emblem. Andrew's eyes widen when he saw that emblem; it was a eye that was surrounded by what looked like rays with a sword right down the middle. It was the symbol of the Nazi's Inquisition.

" _Of all the places where I would run into the German Inquisition, it just had to be in Gallia. These guys make the SS and the Gestapo look good. They are in charge with handling Germany's problem with resistance groups and dissidents. Personally, before this time, I have never met anyone from the Inquisition before given how they all are secretive with their work. Actually seeing them in person is a surprise but biggest surprise would be seeing who is in charge of them." -Andrew W. Vandegrift._

Andrew looked around and saw that Kurt and Thirteen were standing together with their hands up in the air, their weapons on the ground. Behind them were four SS soldiers, their MP40s and 98Ks pointed right at them. Andrew turned around and tries to find out where One is. He then notices movement and looks over and saw that One was actually charging one of the guards. For a second, Andrew thought she was going to actually hit the man but upon looking closely, Andrew began to sweat. The man is a hulking giant, standing at over seven feet tall and having muscles that would make a bodybuilder jealous. His body is covered with heavy armored plating of his own design and his helmet has a face mask welded onto his Stalhelm helmet, making it cover his whole face.

"Wait, One stop!" Andrew yelled but it was too late. One made a slash at the soldier but amazingly the soldier grabbed her weapon with one hand and pries it out of One's hand. The soldier then grabs One and hoists her up to his eye level. One, who was a bit taken back from being confronted for the first time an opponent that was stronger than her, began to struggle. Andrew was about to move and try to get the man to let her go when a voice rang out.

"Now I wouldn't do anything rash right now. If I hear a gunshot or if my men see anyone approaching, I am going to have Dredger snap her neck like twig." The voice rang out. Andrew looked and was finally able to see the infamous Darcsen of the SS. Standing up on the castle wall, with a scoped Kar98K rifle slung over his shoulder was Iohan Comescu. From what Andrew had heard of the man, he once fought against the Nazis. He even killed a lot of Nazis before being captured. After that, it was assumed that he would have been slated to be executed but suddenly he was pardoned by the kaiser himself. Then to the shock of many, he was allowed to serve in the SS and since then has fought with them, eventually gaining the nickname, "Darcsen Demon of the SS."

"Iohan Comescu. I was wondering when you were going to show your face around these parts." Andrew replied. Kurt and Thirteen were pushed by some of the SS to stand next to Andrew.

"Well, I had some business in this area and wouldn't you know? There were word of a sort of Gallian SS in the area. However, from what I am seeing, I am not impressed." Iohan sneered. Andrew was about to respond to this but then Kurt responded before him.

"Can I ask you a question?" Kurt asked. Iohan looked over to him.

"And who might you be?"

"Seven. I am the commanding officer." Kurt replied. Iohan's raised his eyebrows.

"Seven? I find it hard to believe that is your real name but that won't matter anyway. What is it?" Iohan answered.

"You are a Darcsen. Why are you fighting for the Nazis? Especially with the SS?" Kurt asked, confusion laced in his voice. Andrew had to agree with this as well and from the look on Thirteen's face, she wanted to know too. Iohan didn't reply at first but then he began to laugh. After he finished laughing, he responded.

"Look at the world pal. Three thousand years and the Nazis are still here. People try and try, but they just can't seem to break them. They'll knock them down, but every time the Nazis just come back stronger and stronger. And they'll get more land every time they get back up. Sooner or later, Europa is going to be theirs. There's no shame in joining the winning side." Kurt glared at him.

"You must have forgotten but there is another country like that. Many nations fought against them and yet they emerge victorious. They might even be more powerful than the Nazis. That country happens to be the United States and my XO here can probably vouch for that." Kurt replied. Andrew smirked.

"You're damn right we can beat the Nazis so buddy you really just joined the losing side and I am going to make sure you are going to regret that." Andrew responded.

"You seem to forget something. This is Europa. Not America. America didn't come to save Europa in the Great War and they won't come now. And besides, why should I listen to the threats of a bunch of criminals like yourselves. Isn't that what you are anyway? A bunch of crooks and criminals who think that putting on a uniform will give them respect among the Regulars?" Iohan retorted back. What Iohan was true, the Nameless were considered a bunch of misfits and criminals that's only use was to get killed doing tough missions instead of the Regulars getting killed. However, Kurt then remembered what he promised himself and then gathered up the courage to reply.

"You may think of us as criminals or misfits but we have the heart and the strength to defeat you. You may think you are the epitome of a true soldier and that you have earned the respect of the Germans due to you wearing an SS uniform but in reality you are just a traitor to your own people to save your own skin. So, by going with what you are saying, we are pretty much alike." Kurt replied. Andrew smirked.

"Plus, we wiped out not one but two of your forward units. Must be embarrassing to be beaten by a bunch of thugs huh?" Andrew said, insulting the Germans who some began to growl and heft their weapons. Iohan raised his hand to calm them down.

"Who said anything about me being an epitome of a soldier. I'm a hunter. The Nazis gives me targets and I kill them. I've hunted animals before, but rebels, insurgents, the occasional squad, they're much more fun." Iohan stated, ignoring Andrew's insult and wearing an evil smile that made Andrew and the rest uncomfortable.

"You are one sick bastard." Andrew commented.

"Yes he is but he is fighting for the good guys in this war." Another voice, a female's, voiced out. The Nameless looked over to the source of the voice and were surprised to see a person that was dressed like royalty. However, Andrew paled as he knew who that was.

"Now this is interesting. Why would the head of the Inquisition be roaming around these parts? Or should I say, Princess Marybell mel Britannia?" Andrew commented. The rest of the Nameless were surprised that Andrew knew who she was. Kurt was especially curious as he leaned into Andrew' ear.

"How do you know her?" Kurt asked.

"Later." Andrew replied as Marrybell, flanked by Oldrin and a pair of Teutonic knights armed with MP40s. The Teutonic knights are considered the "royal guards" to the imperial family, their lineage dating back to knights of old back in the 1100s. Their training is rumored to be so tough that it makes the Waffen SS look meek. Another thing that makes them different from the SS is that while the SS answers to the Nazi Party, the knights only take orders from the royal family and would even die for them. Another rumor is that they have the swastika tattooed on their palm of their hand to show their loyalty. They are dressed in a sort of combat armor that is reminiscent to their heritage. And the weird thing about them is that they adopted the same class system like the Gallians.

"So we have Waffen SS, Inquisition agents, and Teutonic knights. Jesus, who are you all after if all three of the most infamous groups are here in Gallia?" Andrew asked.

"That is of no concern to you. Gallia belongs to Germania and we are taking back what is rightfully ours." Marrybell replied. Kurt gave her a glare.

"Gallia is Gallia. We do not belong to any other country, and we will defend it with our lives." Kurt replied. Marrybell smiled.

"Then we will kill you, just like those who have opposed us before. Germania will bring peace and order to the world and before that can be achieved, we must cleanse the world of its enemies. Starting with you." Marrybell replied as she raised her hand. The soldiers cocked their weapons, ready to fire on the Nameless. Andrew gulped, knowing this was going to be hard to get out of.

"If you have a plan, now will be a good time to fill me in." Andrew said.

"I am working on it." Kurt replied.

"Well, work faster or else we are going to end up like swiss cheese and One over there is going to be choked." Andrew stated. Kurt began racking his brain, trying to come up with a plan to get them out of this situation. Then out of nowhere all the lights in the camp went off, as if someone just switched the lights off in a room.

"What the fuck?!" Andrew exclaimed. Then from the forest, automatic weapons and rifles began firing towards the castle. The initial barrage killed most of the German soldiers that had surrounded Andrew and the others in the camp. Sensing this, Andrew reached to his back to pull out a flare gun he had hidden. He fired it into the air, the flare flying up to the maximum height it can climb and exploded, lighting the battlefield up. Andrew then pointed at Dredgar holding One.

"Shoot that son of a bitch!" Andrew screamed, hoping his voice was loud enough for the others to hear. His voice was heard because two bullets hit Dredgar's facemask. It caused the man to recoil a bit which gave One the break she needed. She bite down on Dredgar's hand hard, causing the man to let go of her. Once she was free, she grabbed her weapon and retreated back towards the rest of the squad.

Andrew, along with Kurt and Thirteen ran to one of the supply building to take cover and the Nazis recovered from the surprise attack and began firing back. Andrew grabbed his Thompson from the ground and began firing back.

"So, now what do we do?" Andrew asked. One made it to their position, firing her weapon before ducking into the building as machine gun fire hit the building.

"We still need to destroy these supplies. Thirteen and I will destroy the other building, you try and destroy this one." Kurt ordered, taking the Sturmgewehr that Andrew handed to him. He gave Thirteen a Kar98K.

"The explosives are already set. We just need a way to set it off." Andrew replied. He then sensed something coming to them and turned around, Thompson at the ready. He relaxed when he recognized Annika and Twenty-One coming to them.

"How the hell did you guys get into position to help us and were you two the ones that cut the power?" Andrew asked.

"Well, one the Nazis were too overconfident and that made is easier to get past them and yes we cut the power." Twenty-One answered. Kurt nodded at this and then noticed a crate nearby. He went over to it and opened it, revealing stick grenades.

"Twenty-Eight, i think i just found our solution," Kurt said as he brought the crate to the group, "Since the explosives are set, all we need to do is set it off. I am going to the other building and throw a grenade inside. It should set of the explosives destroying the supplies." Kurt explained.

"That sounds good but you are going to need someone to come and cover you because you won't be able to dodge all those bullets." Andrew stated. Kurt thought about it for a bit before looking over to Thirteen.

"Thirteen will come with me." He stated. Thirteen looked at him in shock.

"But-"

"No one is going to die. Plus, Twenty-Eight has to blow up this building with the others so you are my only option." Thirteen still was uneasy with this but then Andrew placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You can do this." He told her. Thirteen, after a moment of thinking, nodded.

"Ok, be ready to cover us." Kurt ordered. Andrew nodded, and motioned to Annika, One and Twenty-One.

"C'mon you three, get ready!" Andrew ordered. They all got near the door, and as bullets were flying in the air, Kurt turned to Andrew and nodded.

"SUPPRESSING FIRE!" Andrew screamed as he stepped outside and began firing his Thompson at the Germans. Annika and Twenty-One joined the fray, firing their submachine guns as well. With the covering fire, Kurt and Thirteen made a dash to the other building. In Thirteen's head, she was fearing that a stray bullet will hit Kurt and she would be responsible for another death.

' _Please, don't let anyone die. Please.'_ Thirteen thought as they ran to the building. They both made it to the building and went inside.

"Ok, Thirteen cover me while I-" Kurt was interrupted when he heard a scream and turned to his left, seeing a charging SS soldier charging to him with his bayonet. Kurt dodged it and tackled the soldier to the ground. The two began to fight to get an upper hand but then the SS soldier landed a punch on Kurt. The SS soldier then pulled out a knife and tried to stab him but Kurt caught it but it was slowly getting closer and closer to his face. Kurt turned and saw that Thirteen hadn't seen the soldier and was firing back at the Nazis in the castle.

"Thirteen!" kurt yelled, trying to get her attention. She turned around and seeing the scene, immediately aimed and shot at the SS soldier through the head. The soldier dropped on top of Kurt, who pushed the soldier off of him. He then looked at Thirteen.

"Thanks Thirteen." Kurt said, a small smile forming. Thirteen blushed and went back to covering him, muttering something he couldn't hear.

"Seven, I am ready here. We are leaving. Hurry up so we can get the hell out of here." Andrew yelled through the radio. Kurt looked over and saw him and the others leave the supply building. After a few seconds, the building exploded in a massive fireball as well as secondary explosions going off, probably due to the ammo cooking off. Kurt then pulled out a grenade and looked over to Thirteen.

"Thirteen, on my signal we run, got it?" Kurt asked.

"Roger." Thirteen replied, reloading the 98K with a fresh clip. Kurt then pulled the the pin on the grenade and threw it to a random crate.

"Go! Go now!" Kurt yelled. Kurt ran out of the building with Thirteen behind him. They made it to the tree line when the building went up in flames. They met up with the rest of the squad.

"The mission is completed. Everyone we are falling back!"

* * *

Iohan couldn't believe it. He had them, they were right there. And then like that they were gone. He gritted his teeth, wanting to kill something. In one day, he failed twice and that is not he is use to.

"It seems you underestimated them." Marrybell commented. They both surveyed the damage. With their supplies gone, they would no choice but to leave or else the Gallian army would notice the fire and come over to investigate.

"But, you can say I underestimated them as well. That won't happen again." Marrybell commented. She turned around and began to walk away with Oldrin in tow before stopping and turning her head to Iohan.

"Oh, and this will be added to my report to my brother. You should expect a call from him. Be ready to explain your failures to him." She said and walked away. Iohan gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

' _First that damn militia squad and now this squad. Damn them all to hell!'_ Iohan thought to himself as he stormed off to see what can be salvaged before they abandon this position.

* * *

"Well, that was one hell of a fight." Andrew commented. The Nameless made it out of the woods and were now back at their main camp.

"We would have had our asses cooked if it weren't for you all." Andrew said to Annika and Twenty One.

"Well, it was really Kurt here that really got us moving." Twenty-One said. Andrew was confused by this and turned to Kurt.

"While you and Thirteen were scouting, I ordered the squad into their positions and said that is anything happened then they should fire." Kurt said.

"How would they know to even fire?" Andrew asked. Kurt smiled a bit.

"When I closed my hand." He stated. Andrew was confused for a bit before remembering that while they were keeping their hands up, he saw that kurt was opening and closing his hands.

"You sneaky bastard." Andrew said and laughed, slapping kurt on the shoulder, "You are a lot more smarter than I thought." Andrew stated. Kurt nodded and looked over to everyone else.

"With the battle over, is anyone dissatisfied with the results?" Kurt asked the group.

"I have no complaints! Kurt, you're incredible! You were able to place us in positions that they didn't even notice us. I wish I could be like you." Annika exclaimed.

"I guess I have no choice. I admit that this time you were good. The fact they didn't notice us at all shows you are pretty good." Twenty-One said, a smile forming on his face.

"Indeed, in a small squad like ours, every single person's ability affects the outcome." Kurt stated, "We have improved a lot since I came to this squad and it looks like we are finally acting like an actual squad. Only incapable commanders would use the 'Angel of Death' curse as an excuse for their units being wiped out." Three chuckled at this.

"This lad has a way with words." She stated.

"How disappointing. I've lost another man to educate." Twenty-Three sighed, sad that she wouldn't be able to educate Kurt.

"Don't worry about it, the planet has plenty of men for you to help." Alfons said, smirking as if he was hinting at something. Twenty-Three saw this and raised an eyebrow.

"Don't tell me you thought my little brother was like that?" She said.

"In war, people will naturally develop superstitions." Valerie stated, pondering it over before continuing, "But there will be people who look for unlucky signs. Some will fight better while others will just split hairs." Kurt looked over the squad as everyone began to take in those words. Thirteen, being the center of the discussion, began to fidget a bit. Kurt noticed this and cleared his throat.

"From now on, No.13 will participate in battles, do you agree?" Kurt asked Thirteen. Thirteen blushed and after some thinking answered.

"I… yes sir!" She answered. As she answered, she saw that some of the squad members began to make their way to her to talk to her. She began to feel incredibly happy with all this and was overjoyed but she felt guilty to drag Kurt and Andrew into this so she waited when Kurt excused everyone for the night to talk to him first then later to Andrew.

"I'm very sorry. I've given you a lot of trouble." Thirteen apologized. Kurt gave her a confused look.

"I was just trying to be a diplomat for the squad and just did what needed to be done. If you can cooperate with the other squad members, then this will greatly increase our strength." Kurt answered. Then asked Thirteen a question.

"Is that not my responsibility?"

"I know what you're saying is right!" She exclaimed before calming down a bit, "but like this…"

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked. Thirteen then suddenly smiled and looked at him straight in the eye.

"I'm very happy! Incredibly happy!" She stated, "After the battle, people wanted to talk to me… though not everyone." She then took a deep breath.

"I was born looking this way, so ever since I was small, people have always thought I was weird." Thirteen began to feel her eyes water but continued, " But today, they said, 'I can't think of how you're different from normal people.' Without the captain or Andrew, this wouldn't have happened. I'm so happy."

"No.13, are you crying?" Kurt asked, oblivious to the fact that those were tears of joy.

"My name is Riela. If you don't mind, can I call you Kurt?" Riela asked.

"Of course you can. Are you crying?" Kurt asked, starting to get concerned. Riela then noticed a tear fall from her cheek and wiped her eyes.

"Of course i'm not crying! You're just discriminating against me Kurt!" She exclaimed. Kurt was now confused.

"You're not crying, but you're angry?" Kurt asked. Riela was a bit taken back by that and started to get annoyed.

"I'm not angry! Are you trying to solve my problems or make fun of me?!" Riela asked.

"Damn, you guys are like my siblings." A voice called out to them. They both turned to see andrew and Gusurg walk up to them. Andrew then looked to Riela.

"So, since I am assuming you told Kurt your name. Mind introducing yourself to me?" Andrew asked, smiling. Riela smiled back and introduced herself to Andrew.

"Riela huh? Nice name, but is it fine if Gusurg and I talk to kurt for a bit?" Andrew asked, winking. Riela blushed and nodded before walking away. Andrew saw that and laughed.

" Guess someone got a little crush on someone." Andrew commented, looking over to Kurt and winking. Kurt gave him a confused looked and Andrew facepalmed.

"God you are dense." Andrew stated. Gusurg chuckled and chimed in.

"No.13, has acknowledged you. That means you have over the half required." Gusurg stated. Kurt nodded.

"Those who haven't yet at least won't fight my orders… well except for one." Kurt stated. Gusurg frowned.

"It's No.1 isn't it?" He asked. Kurt nodded.

"From what I saw, she has the capabilities of an elite soldier." Kurt commented.

"True but she has her own issues to work out…" Gusurg stated, "She's a good fighter but can't get along with others."

"So unless we confront her, she won't talk to either of us?" Andrew asked. Gusurg nodded. Kurt sighed.

"Well, no matter how we need her in future battles. I saw her fight when we were taking out that SS commander and in the other battles. She is a fierce fighter." Kurt stated.

"Well, she loves fighting. That can not be disputed. I wonder why." Andrew said. He then noticed One walking around the camp by herself.

"Well, we can't get anything done just by standing around. Kurt, let's go talk to her." Andrew said, motioning over to One.

"You're right. Let's go."

* * *

' _Talking to One was probably the hardest thing I have done. Good god, this girl was stubborn and fast. Everytime we tried to corner her, she would run away. It was starting to get annoying but like Kurt said we needed her but we need to actually talk to her. Luckily, Kurt somehow was an expert tracker and we eventually cornered her. Now, it was just getting her on our side." -Andrew W. Vandegrift_

"Damn, woman can you just give us a minute to talk?" Andrew said, out of breath. Kurt and Andrew finally cornered One between the barrack tents with Kurt blocking the other way.

"I have nothing to say to either of you." One simply replied. Andrew sighed and was about to say something before kurt beat him to it.

"One minute will be enough, ill you listen to me?" Kurt asked.

"No." One answered.

"All right, then just pretend I'm talking to myself. It's up to you to listen." Kurt said, putting up a hand to stop andrew from saying anything. One didn't reply so Kurt assumed she would be listening so he continued on.

"As a soldier, I think you are one of the best. If we are going to survive in this war, we are going to need you." Kurt said. One was silent.

"I looked at your file when I came to this squad. You joined the Nameless voluntarily. Also, you have been in this squad for two years." Andrew was shocked. One was in this squad even before the war. Who the hell is she? Even so, Kurt continued.

"You are after something or someone. That can only explain why you joined the squad and carry that weapon of yours." Kurt said. One was still silent but to Andrew and Kurt it was a sign that she was listening.

"You aren't going to say 'no'?" Kurt asked, smiling a bit.

"No need to answer." One replied as Andrew also cracked a smile. Finally, some progress.

"From here on, I'm not talking to myself anymore. I have a suggestion for you." Kurt stated, "Let's make a deal." One looked at him confused.

"If you have some sort of goal, then when the time comes, the Nameless and i will help you." Kurt said. Both Andrew and One looked at him in surprise but Kurt raised a hand.

"But as part of the deal, i want your help now." Kurt said, motioning to Andrew to add something.

"Yeah, same with me. Whatever you are after, I swear to you now, we will help you. No matter what it is." Andrew said. One began to think. On one hand, she didn't want help from anyone since what she wanted was something she must do on her own but on the other hand…

"I want to live, gain amnesty, and leave the Nameless someday. In order to reach that goal, I need your help." Kurt said.

"And I want to head back to the U.S so I can be with my wife so will you help us?" Andrew said. One was still silent. Kurt then decided to deliver the finishing blow.

"If this small squad has even the smallest bit of meaning to you, I think you'll accept my proposal." Kurt stated. There was silence over the trio and to One, even though she didn't want to talk to anyone, she feels more at home with this squad than anywhere else. Plus, with her being Darcsen, it will be difficult to achieve her goal with anyone else.

"It's not impossible." She replied. Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"Then you accept our proposal?" Kurt asked. One was silent and then turned and walked towards Andrew. Andrew got out of the way and she continued walking for abit before turning back to Andrew and Kurt.

"Listen well, I'll only say it once." One said. Both men looked at her confused as she took a deep breath before continuing.

"Imca." Imca said.

"Eh?" Both Kurt and Andrew said.

"My name… this is proof of the promise both of you made, as long as you both keep your end of the bargain, I won't betray you two." Imca replied, her eyes looking each man making it clear that she will hurt them if they betray their word.

"Your name is Imca? Does that mean you trust me?" Kurt asked.

"And me?" Andrew added.

"If both of you break your promise, you both should fear for your lives." Imca simply stated. Both men looked at her, a bit surprised, but nevertheless both of them nodded.

"I'm Kurt Irving. It's nice to meet you Imca." Kurt said.

"Andrew W. Vandegrift. PLeasure to meet you." Andrew said. Imca gave both men a cold stare.

"No.7, 28. I'll listen to your orders but remember this is a business deal, nothing more." imca replied, "I have no reason to call either of you by your names nor is it necessary."

"All right, as you wish." Kurt said, content that he finally can trust Imca to follow his orders.

"Well, if that is what you want then ok." Andrew said. Meanwhile in Kurt's mind, he was glad with what transpired.

' _I was able to get the most promising result, this squad's future looks bright."_ Kurt thought to himself.

* * *

"So, I guess the mission was a success considering that you two are still alive." Crowe mused. Both Andrew and Kurt returned to the fort to report to Crowe the next day, bringing with them the news of their recent mission.

"The mission was achieved with success." Kurt replied.

"Yeah, and Kurt was able to get the majority of the squad to actually listen to him." Andrew commented. Crowe raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that is surprise. I assumed they would just be stubborn and refuse to acknowledge you. But enough of that, what was it that you wanted to show me?" Crowe asked. Kurt nodded to Andrew and Andrew laid on Crowe's table the sturmgewehr that he was able to take with him from the supply depot.

"At first glance, this looks like your average sturmgewehr that the Krauts use but it reality it is more buffed up. And from what we saw they have a lot of them." Andrew stated. Crowe looked over the rifle for a bit, checking it out and pulling the bolt back and forward. He then placed it back on the table.

"Our intelligence department discovered an German lab in the south. We believe that they are developing new weapons and equipment for the German army to use." Crowe then looked at both men, "Your next mission is to infiltrate this lab and destroy it. Also if you find anything, bring it back to us."

"Understood." Kurt replied.

"You got it." Andrew stated.

"Good. Now go have fun crossing the border." Crowe said dismissing the two men. Both men saluted and were walking out when both men stopped and turned around, looks of shock on both men's face.

"Repeat that?" Andrew asked.

"Oh, i forgot to mention. The lab is on the German side of the border. Have fun with that and another thing, you are getting some new squad members. They should be on their way there and Andrew report to the armory. One of our gunsmiths wants a word with you."

 **A/N: I apologize guys for this coming out so late. Work, school, and personal issues came up so it hindered me writing this. The next chapter hopefully should come out sooner so you guys shouldn't wait for long. Also, did you guys see the Valkyria Chronicles 4 trailer? Finally we are going back to Europa and now fighting as the Atlantic Federation no less! :D Well, that's it for me. As always if you have any questions or comments, feel free to post a comment or PM me and I will get back to you. Have a Happy Thanksgiving** **everyone** **:)**


	19. Chapter 17: Hell over Rangriz

Hell over Randgriz

( **A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Hope you all enjoy this chapter since this took me awhile to write. As always, Valkyria Chronicles is owned by Sega as well as certain characters belong to Heinkelboy05 and some other characters belong to Hiroki Uchida)**

"Ok, so what is it that you told Crowe that made him order me to come here?" Andrew asked Jessica as he entered into the armory. It has been awhile since he was in the armory due to the mission he conducted. He was looking over at Jessica who was sitting at her desk.

"Well for starters, here is your Cei-Rigotti rifle back." Jessica said, pointing to the rifle that was currently on her work bench. Andrew went over to expect the rifle. He pulled the bolt back to inspect the inside of the rifle and gave the rifle a look over.

"The rifle seems to be in working order. So, what type of upgrades were you able to do with the rifle?" Andrew asked.

"Well, for starters I was able to increase the rate of fire a bit by tuning the bolt so that it won't wear out as much when you use it on full-auto. I also redid the rifling on the barrel so you should be able to hit more targets from afar now." Jessica answered, her eyes not leaving the work she was doing. Andrew noticed this and shouldered the rifle and walked up to her.

"What are you working on?" Andrew asked, looking at the weapon she was working on. It looked like a Maxim machine gun but instead of it being belt-fed, it looked like there was a case for the ammo and there was a pistol grip. It retained its bipod but what was weird about it was that it had a retractable buttstock, similar to what the MP40s that the Krauts were using.

"Our military needs more firepower. We can't compete with light machine guns like the Germans and we don't have that many BARs that you Americans have. So, I am trying to see if I can take our Maxim machine guns and make them more light weight to use as infantry support weapons." Jessica said. Andrew raised an eyebrow.

"Well, good luck with that. I have to head back to my squad." Andrew stated as he made his way to the exit.

"Heard your unit was getting reinforcements. Try not to bore them with your war stories." Jessica commented, smirking a bit. Andrew rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll catch you later Jess." Andrew said, not looking back. He gave her a wave and exited the armory. He saw Kurt waiting for him next to the jeep.

"Alright, let's go." Andrew said. Kurt nodded and got into the driver seat. Andrew got into the passenger seat and both of them headed back to their encampment.

" _We both didn't realize at that time that something big was heading towards Randgriz that day. When we got back to our encampment, and Gusurg greeted us with the news, it made be regret leaving. What would happen that day will always be known by not only me but everyone else that day as 'Hell over Randgriz'" –Andrew W. Vandergrift._

* * *

 **Gallian Royal Air Corp Base, Southern Gallia**

"So, in America is it true that Darcsens can marry a non-Darcsen? Is a hot dog really as good as I heard it is? I head New York is the city that never sleeps, is that true?" Charlotte groaned as she hit her head on the desk. Currently she along with her squadron are waiting in the squadron's briefing room. It has been a week since she was assigned to the squadron and she has been swamped. The Luftwaffe stepped up their attacks after that attack on the airfield and so far, they have not participated in any offensive operations. However, their next mission was going to change that. They were scheduled for an attack mission on a recently captured airfield where the Germans had based some BF-110C heavy fighters were stationed. They had made an attack on the front lines and caused heavy casualties for the ground forces. Because of this, the army command is screaming at the GRAC to do something. Since their squadron is one of the few squadrons to still be flyable, they were chosen for the job.

However, the job didn't mention about being bombarded with questions.

Charlotte sighed and looked at the girl asking her questions. The girl was young, around 17 years old. She had shoulder length hair and had a cloth wrapped around her neck with a Darcsen pattern on it, along with wearing the standard pilot uniform of the GRAC. The girl was smiling from ear to ear, waiting for an answer. Charlotte didn't hate the girl but ever since she got here, this girl has been asking questions left to right after finding out Charlotte was from America.

"Yes, yes, and I don't know. Anya, listen I don't mind that you are interested in America but just ease up on the questions ok?" Charlotte answered, trying her best not to sound harsh and doing her best to give the young girl a smile.

"Oh, ok." Anya replied, a bit down. Charlotte felt guilty and tried to reverse the situation.

"Well, Anya, why do you like America?" Charlotte asked, trying to bring the girl's spirit up. Like magic, Anya brightened up immediately.

"America is the only country in the world where Darcsens are treated as humans instead of trash. It's place where Darcsens can have last names, fight for their country, and are respected and love on their character and not on what color of hair they have. Plus, America is a lot bigger than Gallia. So many places to go and see, I want visit it all." Anya stated as she leaned in her chair and stared at the ceiling, daydreaming about the day she would be able to go to America.

Charlotte laughed and answered, "If you love America so much, then how about after this war you can come along with me back to the United States for a while. You can stay at my house in North Carolina." Anya straightened out in a heartbeat and in a flash was next to Charlotte, looking at her with stars in her eyes.

"Really? Can I really come?" Anya asked. Charlotte chuckled at the girl's enthusiasm.

"Of course, I think my husband wouldn't mind." Charlotte answered.

"Why would you want to go to that country Anya? It's filled with cowards and empty promises." A voice called out. Charlotte grit her teeth as she turned over to the voice. She saw Lucas leaning on a wall. He had an apple in his hand and took a bite.

"I suggest you focus on eating that apple and not run that mouth of yours." Charlotte snarled. Ever since she came to this squadron, Lucas has been treating her as if she was the enemy. After her first battle, she was introduced to the rest of the squadron and was received well with the exception of Lucas. Since then, it has been insult after insult and even a fight when Lucas claimed that her husband only married her out of pity. Charlotte tackled him and began to punch him to a pulp until Mara came in and stopped it, which a three day stay in the stockade as punishment. Lucas scoffed and took another bite of his apple.

"I'm only stating the truth. After all, you Yanks are all talk about how you all are one of the strongest countries in the world and yet when Europe needed our help, you all just coward and hide behind an ocean while Europe burned." Lucas said. Charlotte stood up from her seat and approached Lucas. She was stopped when Anya got in between them along with a few more pilots that didn't want this to escalate.

"Listen you ass, the United States was fighting with Mexico at that time and then we had to fight the Soviets twelve years later. So, as you can see, we had our own fucking problems to deal with." Charlotte stated, glaring at Lucas. Both pilots glared at each other, tempting the other to take the first swing. Anya looked at both of them nervously.

"C'mon guys, we are on the same side here." Anya said, trying to defuse the situation.

"I agree with Anya, we are all on the same side." A voice rang out. Everyone turned to see that Mara and her second-in–command, Gallian Militia Captain Jake Morrow, came in.

"Everyone take your seats," Mara ordered. She noticed that both Lucas and Charlotte were still glaring at each other. "If you both don't take your seats, I will throw both of you back into the stockade." Eventually both of them took their seats, with Anya sitting next to Charlotte.

Mara took a deep breath and spoke, "Today, we will be taking our first offensive operation against the Luftwaffe. We have been on the defensive for too long so now we are taking the fight to them," Mara turned to Jake who nodded and pulled down a map from the chalkboard, "As you all know, our frontlines took a hit from some BF-110Cs. Intelligence was able to track their airdrome to be here," Mara pointed to an airbase that was 15 miles from the southern Gallian-German border, "As far as we know, there is only the squadron of BF-110s there and nothing else. However, we can expect additional enemy fighters to be in the area. 109s, and 190s have been reported in the area. Our mission is to take out the airbase, specifically the BF-110s." Mara then nodded to Jake who stepped forward.

"We will be taking two flights with us. Green flight will focus on attacking the airfield while Devil flight will be providing air cover. The rest of you will be on reserve for base defense. Any questions?" Jake said. He was greeted with silence.

"If there are no question, then you are dismissed! I want Green and Devil flight on the runway in 30 minutes!" Mara ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!" The pilots responded as they stood up and made their way to the exit. Charlotte was about to exit the room until Mara called out to her.

"Charlotte, stay for a bit." Mara said. Charlotte looked over to Anya and motioned her to go on as Charlotte approached Mara.

"What do you need ma'am?" Charlotte asked.

"At ease, I may be your commanding officer but I don't want to make you uncomfortable. Mara is fine." Mara said, smiling. Charlotte was a bit surprised since she is used to strict leadership from commanding officers but with Mara she was different. While she is tough on the pilots and is not afraid to issue punishments, she looks out for her pilots and maintains a sort of personal relation with fellow pilots, especially with the pilots in her flight.

"Yes, ma'a- yes Mara." Charlotte fixed.

"Good. Now let's take a walk to the hangar. I want to ask how are you fitting in with the squadron." Mara said. Charlotte nodded and the both of them followed by Jake exited the briefing room and made their way to the hangar.

"Well, so far everything is fine. But I have to say, it feels good to finally take the fight to the enemy. The defense missions we have been for a week now are not the way for us to beat the Krauts back over the border." Charlotte commented.

"Sadly, we agree but command is in a bad bind. The Luftwaffe has been hitting every airfield we have so we are spending more time fixing and repairing then going out on missions." Jake commented.

"Why is that? I mean there was that other Darcsen squad that supported a militia operation a few days ago. Why can't we get more of those kinds of missions?" Charlotte asked.

"That was a rare case. They were in the area. Sadly, command sees us as cannon fodder and regulate us as a defense squadron rather than an offensive force like the other squadrons." Mara commented, anger laced in her voice.

"That's bullshit. We have every right to fight the same as every other squadron." Charlotte mused.

"Trust me, we agree with you but our hands are tied. Gallia isn't like the United States, we are still considered second-class here." Mara replied. Charlotte sighed at this.

"I wish things were different." Charlotte commented.

"Believe me, you are not the only one." Jake commented, looking over to Mara. Mara noticed this but signaled him not to say anything more. Charlotte noticed the silence as she turned to the both of them.

"Are you both ok?" Charlotte asked. Mara and Jake looked away from each other, their faces growing red.

"We are fine. We need to get ready to fly." Mara stated, going ahead. Charlotte looked over to Jake who had a sad/hurt look on his face. Similar to the face her husband gave her years ago in Alaska but Charlotte couldn't ask Jake about it since they have arrived at the hangar.

"Well, guess I am off sir." Charlotte told Jake. Jake nodded and Charlotte jogged towards her fighter. As she approached her fighter, she saw Ben was looking over her plane along with some other technicians.

"So, Ben…" Charlotte started, dreading the upcoming conversation. Since coming to the unit, she has seen that Ben gets a bit "unhappy" when someone comes back with enough bullet holes in their plane to look like Swiss cheese. Usually it is him, berating Anya since she is always the one that comes back with the most but recently, Charlotte has been getting more and more herself, with the most recent mission being the case.

"I heard you were a combat pilot before coming here. So, I assumed that you would know when to be careful. I guess I was wrong." Ben sighed as he ran a hand through his grey hair.

"In my defense, the 109 that was on me was aggressive and plus I am tame compared to Anya." Charlotte commented to which Ben sighed.

"I swear, that girl needs to learn to not jump into every fight she sees." Ben stated.

"Well, can't blame her. She is a bit trigger happy. I'll make sure she comes back this time with less bullet holes." Charlotte said. Ben nodded and Charlotte climbed into her fighter. She inspected the instruments while Ben climbed up himself to talk to her.

"I talked to Pedro. So far, he hasn't heard anything about your husband. He isn't with the militia or regular army units near Randgriz. So, either he is at the frontlines and hasn't been near the capital or he is- "

"Don't say it." Ben was surprised from the cut-off and looked and saw Charlotte had stopped what she was doing. Her hands shaking.

"Look, all I am saying is don't be surprised if the worst happens." Ben stated. There was a silence, then Ben placed a hand on Charlotte's shoulder.

"I'm sure he's fine." Ben stated before climbing off. Charlotte sat for a while, then looked over to the photo she pinned in the cockpit. It was a picture of the last time she has seen Andrew. It was during a brief R&R from the fighting against the Soviets. In the picture, Andrew was leaning in and giving Charlotte a kiss on the cheek while Charlotte was laughing in the photo. Charlotte began to tear up a bit, missing her husband. However, she couldn't dwell on it as the radio came to life.

"Um, Devil 3 is everything alright?" Anya asked through the radio. Charlotte rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'm fine Anya. Heading to the runway now." Charlotte then started her engines and taxied to the runway.

'You're late Yank." Lucas mused but Charlotte ignored him, instead reporting to Mara.

"Sorry I'm late boss."

"It's fine. All right, devil flight launch!" Mara ordered. One by one, the P-40s of Devil Flight took off with Charlotte being the last. She accelerated down the runway and pulled the stick. The P-40 lifted off and she climbed up to 7,000 feet and her and the rest of the flight went into a waiting pattern until Green flight took off.

After a few minutes, Green flight was in the air and both flights made the journey to the enemy air base. While flying, Charlotte would check her instruments every now and then and she would glance over that picture.

' _Where are you Andrew? Are you alive? Dead? Damn you Andrew for making me worry like this!"_ Charlotte thought but her train of thought was disturbed when a voice called out over the radio.

"Devil Lead, this is Home One. Do you copy?" Jack's said through the radio.

"Go ahead Home One."

"Devil Lead, you and Green flight are being rerouted for an important interception mission. Stand by." Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

' _Another interception mission. What is it this time?'_ Charlotte thought. A few minutes later, she got her answer.

"Radar has detected a large formation of bombers and fighter escorts heading towards Randgriz. The first wave has already hit the city and a second wave is on its way. All GRAC squadrons are ordered to head towards Randgriz immediately." Charlotte heard gasps over the radio. Charlotte herself was surprised as well. Until now, there were bombing raids but they were usually small and only one wave. Now they were pulling all the stops now.

"All right, all flights follow me. We are going to meet up with other GRAC flights to head to the capital." Mara ordered. Charlotte saw her P-40 bank left and one by one, the other fighters did the same, including her. After a few minutes, they met up with other squadrons heading to the capital.

"Boss, are the other members of the squadron heading to the capital?" Anya asked over the radio.

"No. They are to remain on standby in case this is a multi-attack on other air bases." Mara answered.

"The Nazis haven't launched a bombing raid this big. What's the change?" Lucas asked.

"With the loss of Vasel, they must be getting desperate for a victory." Mara suggested. Though Charlotte didn't think so.

"Even losing Vasel, it shouldn't be enough to launch this kind of bombing raid. They must have a new commander and he must be really aggressive. We should expect an offensive against us soon." Charlotte stated.

"Like you would know about that Yank." Lucas mused. Charlotte gritted her teeth but before she could say anything Mara interjected.

"Lucas, this is a standing order. Unless you have something productive to say, stay off the channel." Mara ordered. There was a brief silence before Lucas finally replied with a "Yes ma'am." The rest of the flight to Randgriz was quiet as everyone was preparing themselves for the upcoming fight. As they closed in onto the city, they began to come into view of Randgriz, and what they saw shocked everyone.

Randgriz was engulfed in flames. The city was hit hard in the first wave but the second wave seems to be finishing what the first started. And the amount of enemy aircraft over the city was unbelievable. To many of the Gallian pilots, it was as if the entire Luftwaffe was over Randgriz but for Charlotte it reminded her of the air battles over Alaska and Russia.

' _This time though, these pilots are inexperienced pilots but battle-hardened pilots. This is going to be tough'_ Charlotte thought. She then heard other voices over the radio.

"Look at all of them!"

"There's too many of them!"

"How can we fight against that many?"

"We can take them! Let's get some!"

Charlotte then heard Mara ordered.

"All right, everyone pick your targets! Let's show these bastards that not only Gallians but Darcsens can fight!" Mara ordered. Over the radio, every acknowledged and the planes split apart to search for targets.

"Alright, stay with me Devil 4. We are going to make a run on the enemy bombers." Charlotte said.

"With you, Devil 3." Charlotte opened the throttle and climbed. She saw the bomber formation, being escorted by five 109s. Charlotte focused on the lead bomber, who was opening its bomb bay to drop the bombs.

Charlotte didn't hesitate as she pressed the trigger, letting loose a long burst of machine gun fire. AP-I rounds hitting the bomber, hitting the fuel tanks and igniting the bomber in flames. The bomber began to fall from the sky with the left wing being torn off. The escort fighters began to break off the engage the attacking Gallian fighters. Charlotte then found herself being chased by two 109s.

"Devil 4, there are two on me." Charlotte reported.

"I'm on it." Anya replied. She got behind the two 109s and fired. Her rounds hit one of the 109s right wing shredding it apart. The 109 fell from the sky while the other broke off. Anya gave chase and after lining up the fighter opened fire. Her burst hit the cockpit and then the engine. The burst filled the pilot with more than twenty armor-piercing bullets, tearing the pilot apart in the cockpit. Then a bullet hit a fuel line in the engine, causing the 109 to explode in mid-air.

"Nice shot Devil 4." Charlotte cheered. Then Mara's voice rang through the radio.

"Devil 3 and 4, fall back in formation. We are going to-" Mara stopped mid-sentence. This peaked Charlotte's curiosity as she and Anya linked up with Mara and Lucas. It was then that Charlotte noticed an unknown object flying at a low altitude. She squinted her eyes to see what it was and what she saw was something she couldn't describe. The unknown was a sort of grey fighter but it was something that Charlotte has never seen before. The wings of the aircraft were swept back and it had a pointed nose and it looked more streamlined than any plane she has seen. There was no propeller on the aircraft but instead there were two engines underneath each wing. It was also pretty fast as Charlotte saw, the aircraft shot down two P-40s in quick succession. The aircraft then made a strafing run on an AA position using rockets, destroying the Bofors 40mm cannons.

"What the hell is that?' Charlotte mused. She then saw that there was some painting on the nose and upon looking closely, it was a painting of a swallow. Before she could ask who, it was, other pilots answered for her.

"Om my God! It's the Grey Siren! The baron's daughter!"

"What?! The Red Baron's daughter! Emilia Von Richthofen!"

"What the hell is she flying? Is that a jet?! I thought they were only testing the damn thing! We can't touch her in that!"

"C'mon, we can take her!"

Charlotte raised her eyebrows. The pilot of that thing was the Red baron's daughter. THE Red Baron, the one that killed more pilots than anyone during the Great War. And what's more is that it's a jet fighter. Charlotte had heard about jets from her time flying the Marine Corp, with the United States testing out some of their own but from the looks of things, the Germans have beaten them to the punch.

"I heard the Germans have jets but I didn't think I'd actually see one!" Anya said over the radio, surprise laced in her voice. Lucas' scoffed.

"So, it's faster! We can it on." Lucas stated.

"Hold it Lucas. That thing is leagues better than us. I suggest we just avoid her at all costs and just focus on hitting the bombers." Charlotte said. Then out of nowhere Mara's voice filled the radio.

"SHE'S MINE!" The order built up into a yell which caused Charlotte to wince and then Charlotte saw Mara's P-40 break off and then head towards the Grey Siren.

In Mara's P-40, she was seeing red. Seeing the jet's maneuvers and tactics, all she saw was the Red Baron flying. Then came the memories. The memories of her friends dying from the Red Baron, seeing their planes fall from the sky and no chute. All that anger and pain was finally released and she was not going to let it get away.

"Devil 1, do not engage! Focus on shooting down the bombers!" Jake's voice rang through the radio. Mara ignored Jake as she continued to head towards the jet.

"Devil 1, respond! MARA!" Jake yelled through the radio. Mara then just turned off her radio and continued on. Meanwhile, Charlotte in her plane assumed that Mara had shut her radio and reported to Jake.

"Um, I think she turned her radio off."

"Damnit, does anyone have eyes on her?" Jake asked.

"This is Devil 2, I see her. Though I can't keep up with her, they are moving really fast down there." Lucas answered. Charlotte angled her fighter and looked down and her jaw dropped. Mara and the Grey Siren were dueling it out and even though Mara was in a plane that was leagues away from what the Grey Siren was using, she was somehow giving her a tough fight.

Mara got into range and fired a burst at the jet. The burst makes some hits on the jet but then Emilia turned to the incoming fire and pushed the throttle of the jet. With the twin jet engines, she had more speed than Mara's P-40. She flew right past Mara before Mara could react and then lowered her speed to loop back and get on Mara's tail. She fired a burst from her four 30mm cannons at Mara but then Mara made a hard turn to get into Emilia's fire. The advantage of the P-40 is that it can outturn most of the German fighters, and against the 262 it was no exception. Emilia tried to match the turning radius of the P-40 but couldn't stay in the turning radius. She overshot Mara and now Mara was again behind her tail. As she was looking through her gun sights, she saw the Red Baron's bright red triplane in her sights and that only fueled her anger even more. She fired another burst but it missed since Emilia used her speed to get away. This game of cat and mouse continued over the rooftops of Randgriz and it was giving the ground forces as well as the pilots on both sides quite a show.

"Wow, I can see why she is a light bird." Charlotte commented.

"And she won't be living any longer if she doesn't get her stubborn head out of her ass!" Jake yelled. Charlotte was about to agree until she felt a chill run through her, as if someone was hunting her.

High above the clouds over the burning capital of Gallia, two flights of BF-109F "Friedrich" fighters were flying over the capital. These 109s were different from the 109s that were currently fighting life and death below them. For starters, these fighters were painted in a dark black camouflage pattern. The wing tips and nose were painted red and the unit's emblem was painted near the cockpit. The emblem was a cross in front of a shield with a human skull over the cross. The numbers 666 were placed under the skull. In the West, this squadron is not well known but in the Eastern regions, this certain squadron is nicknamed "The Devils squad". These pilots belonged to the 666th Fighter Squadron, the Schwarzemarken.

' _The 666_ _th_ _is considered to be one of the deadliest fighter squadrons I have heard of. They are known to have killed every pilot they ran into and that they would even shoot at pilots who had parachuted. Their commander, Hauptmann Irisdina Bernhard, was a cunning and calculating commander who has never been shot down. This squadron is usually based near Kiev but appearing over Randgriz was a complete shock to many pilots and for my wife, it was going to be a learning lesson she will never forget.' –Andrew W. Vandergrift._

Irisdina looked below and was five P-40s, loitering over the airspace. She furrowed her brows.

"You would think that they would be looking for fighters or bombers to engage." Irisdina said to herself.

"Hauptmann, we should engage them." Schwarz 6, Leutnant Annet Hosenfeld stated, excitement in her voice.

"Our orders are to assist Hauptmann Richtofen and from the looks of things, she doesn't want to be disturbed." Schwarz 4, Oberleutnant Gretel Jackeln answered.

"Well, we have to do something. Those fighters look like that Darcsen squadron we were briefed about." Schwarz 3, Oberleutnant Walther Kruger stated. Irisdina thought about it. The bombers were pretty much wrapping up their bombing run and the fighters are now just looking to add to their kill record. Irisdina looked at her fuel gauge and saw that she had enough fuel for a fight and then looked at her ammo count and saw she had 110 rounds in her machine gun and 33 rounds in her cannon.

"Ok, listen up. Sound off if you have enough fuel and ammo to fight." Irisdina ordered. Over the radio, she heard that Gretel, and Annett had enough for a fight. Walther had enough fuel but his guns were dry. From the rest of the flight, Schwarz 5, 7, and 9 were ready to fight while Schwarz 8 and 2 had empty guns. Irisdina thought about the last three. Schwarz 5, Leutenant Sylwia Krzansika, was experienced but Schwarz 7, Leutenant Katia Walkheim and Schwarz 8, Leutenant Lise Hohenstein were both new with Lise being the worst of the two in terms of dogfighting.

"Alright, Schwarze 4,5, and 6 are with me. The rest of you head back to Ghirlandaio air base." Irisdina ordered. She got "rogers" and saw through her rear-view mirror and saw Schwarz 4,5, and 6 get on her tail while the rest of the fighters banked right and headed back to Ghirlandaio.

"Ok, pick your targets and show these Dark hairs no mercy." Irisdina ordered. She then dove and aligned her gunsights on the lead P-40 and squeezed the trigger.

Charlotte's plane was rocked with bullets and she was fired on from above. Charlotte broke right to avoid the gunfire and looked up to see a dark black 109 flies right past her.

"Fuck! This is Devil 3, engaging." Charlotte shouted over the radio. She heard Anya and Lucas to the same while the other two GRAC pilots said the same. Charlotte dived and began to chase the 109. She aligned her gunsight on the fighter and squeezed the trigger. Her six fifty cals let loose and she was able to make some hits on the 109 before it began to take evasive maneuvers. The 109 pulled up and Charlotte followed suit, the two fighters leveling out and were flying just a few hundred feet over the buildings of the capital. Charlotte tried to keep her gunsight on this fighter but she was not having any luck. The pilot was good, really good. The pilot would always doge her bullet spray while Charlotte began to notice that she was slowly run out of ammo. Then the German pilot slowed down and pulled up. Charlotte tried to do the same but in the end, she overshot the fighter. Now the tables have turned and Charlotte began to sweat as the 109 began to fire its machine guns and cannon at her. Her P-40 took the hits thanks to its heavy armor but soon she was that her engine take a cannon hit and began to spew smoke.

"Fuck, this isn't good. I have to get this bastard off me." Charlotte said. She then had an idea. She banked left with the 109 following. The enemy fighter continued to engage Charlotte but what the enemy fighter didn't realize was that Charlotte was leading her over a pair of Bofors 40mm AA guns. The gunners were just finished reloading when one of the spotters pointed to the sky.

"Enemy fighter." The spotter yelled. The gunners looked up to see a 109 chasing a Gallian fighter. They cranked the handle to aim the cannon at the enemy fighter. Charlotte flew over the AA position and smiled as she looked through her rear-view mirror to see a couple of black puffs appear between her and the enemy fighter. The 109 broke off the chase to avoid the enemy fire and Charlotte turned her fighter around to engage the enemy fighter. She squeezed the trigger and her guns roared for about three seconds before it stopped.

"What?" Charlotte exclaimed as she looked at her ammo gauge. She gasped when she found out she had forgot to pay attention and now she was out of ammo. She broke off the attack and began to fly away.

"This is Devil 3, I am out of ammo. Heading back to base." Charlotte stated over the radio.

"Wait, Devil 3. It looks like they are finally leaving." Anya answered. Charlotte looked around and sure enough the German fighters and bombers were leaving the city. Charlotte saw a couple of P-40 fighters she recognized as Lucas' and Anya's fighters. Well, Anya's fighter was obvious by how shot up and the smoke from the engine.

"Anya really? Again?" Charlotte commented, sighing as she knows what Ben is going to say.

"Hey! It was fine until those 109s appeared out of nowhere. If those fighters didn't show up…" Anya said.

"That's enough chatter everyone. We are returning to base." Mara's voice finally rang over the radio. Charlotte looked left and saw Mara's fighter approaching them. She got ahead of the flight and Charlotte saw that her plane was hit and her right wing was busted up.

"So…." Charlotte started but Lucas finished her thought.

"Were you able to shoot down the Grey Siren?" There was silence over the radio. After a few minutes, Mara answered.

"No. We couldn't get a lead on each other." Mara answered, her voice stone cold. The rest of the flight back to base was silent, each pilot reflecting on what happened. Charlotte then realized something.

"Where is Green flight?" Charlotte asked.

"They didn't make it. I don't know about the other flights" Lucas answered. Charlotte took a deep breath. Four pilots died. Their squadron was now down to only twelve pilots or maybe even less. These were losses they couldn't afford to lose but there was nothing they could really do. War is hell and people will die and you have to learn quick or you are going to end up dead.

They all arrived at the airfield safely with Charlotte being the last one to land. She unstrapped herself from her seat and took off her flight cap. She sat in the cockpit for a while, taking deep breathes to calm her down from the fight when she began to hear some commotion. She got up and saw that there was a crowd forming around Mara's plane. Charlotte got out of the cockpit and made her way to the crowd. As she got closer, she saw Anya standing by Ben, Lucas, and Pedro.

"What's going on?" Charlotte asked. Ben turned his head to face Charlotte.

"Our commander and XO are having a lover's quarrel." Ben answered. Charlotte was confused a bit until she looked over and saw that Jake and Mara were staring daggers at each other, with Mara looking a bit more agitated, probably from failing to shoot down Emilia.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Jake yelled, his anger overtaking him. Mara glared at him.

"You know who was up there Jake. This time around it may be his daughter but she still has his blood. I am going to settle the score this time." Mara answered, hoping that Jake would understand but to her shock he didn't.

"The war's been over for over twenty years. What's left to settle?!" Jake argued back. Mara was surprised for a bit but then became angrier.

"How many friends has he murdered?! How many has he killed?! Hell Jake, look at what he did to my face?! I thought you of all people would understand!" Mara yelled. There were audible gasps in the crowd, including Charlotte. She knew that the scar was probably from the Great War but she never knew it was from the Red Baron.

"I do understand! But how is killing the man's daughter going to fix this?! This doesn't even involve her!" Jake argued back.

"The way she was flying was exactly like his! If I can shoot her down, then in essence I shot him down and that is good enough for me!" Mara replied.

"No, it won't. You've stayed on in the air corps just to get the chance to fight the Baron again. Just because you shoot down his daughter, that doesn't mean it's going to be the same thing." Jake replied, trying to make her see reason but it isn't working.

"He hasn't flown since the end of the Great War! I may never get another chance! Jake, I have to do this!" Mara stated but Jake shook his head.

"You kill her, all you are going to do is bring him grief and suffering. You won't be better than him." And with that, the sound of a slap rang through the hangar. Jake brought his right hand up to touch the area where Mara had slapped him. He looked and saw the anger and sadness in Mara's eyes and then she turned and left. No one moved for a while until ben cleared his throat.

"Alright people, break it up. Nothing left to see here." He yelled. Everyone began to disperse but Jake remained where he was. Charlotte began to feel worried and was about to approach him but Ben stopped her.

"I'll tell you later kid. Right now, just leave it alone." Ben said. Charlotte looked back at Jake and after a few minutes, she decided to leave with Ben, leaving Jake to just stand there and just before she left, she turned back to see and she thought she saw a tear drop from his face but she far away and couldn't tell but Ben motioned her to leave and she left with Ben.

 **Well, hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Also since it's Christmas, I would like to thank those who have stuck with this story even though the writing is horrid and my updating schedule is all over the place. I will do my best to post the next chapter soon. Most likely after the New Year. If anyone has any questions, feel free to PM and review if you can. It would be greatly appreciated. See you all soon.**


	20. Chp18: Ambush in the Hills

**(Note: This work was written solely for entertainment purposes)**

Ambush in the hills

 _April 18, 1935_

"Ok, cease-fire! Cease-fire!" Andrew yelled. The firing range went from having the sound of rifles and machine guns to silence as everyone stopped shooting and put their weapons on safety. Andrew walked through the line, looking down at the shooters target to see how accurate they were. Right now, Alfons, Giulio, Amy, Annika, and the two new recruits were on the firing line and as Andrew walked to each person and looking at their target, he begins to see some of their strengths and weaknesses.

"Well Amy, seems like you are pretty accurate with basically anything we give you." Andrew stated. Amy's target was peppered with bullet holes but the thing that amazed him was the fact that they were in a tight grouping, even when she was using a machine gun.

"Yeah, The drill sergeant at my school said that I had a natural talent." Amy stated, a bit embarrassed about it.

"I can see why. I can't even maintain that tight of a grouping with the Thompson, nice work." Andrew said, then made a few notes on his clipboard that he has been writing on, taking notes on what each person's weakness and strengths so that they can be used to the best of their abilities. Andrew then walked over to Alfons.

"Hmm, seems like your spread with the submachine gun is ok but I suggest you stick with a rifle. plus, since you operate the radio a rifle is more suited." Andrew commented, in which Alfons nodded. Andrew then walked over to Giulio.

"Ok, let's see," Andrew looked at Giulio's target and whistled, "Well, at least your accuracy with a rifle is a lot better than when you used the submachine and the MG42. So, I guess we will have you stick with being our anti-tank guy." Andrew commented while writing on his clipboard.

"Why are we firing every weapon? We told you what we prefer, so why train with weapons we aren't good at?" Giulio asked. Ever since their last mission, Andrew and Kurt had decided to see everyone's strong point so they asked everyone and they told them but to Andrew he wanted everyone to at least be good with every weapon from the rifles, to the anti-tank lances.

"Well, what happens when you used up all those lances? You would be left with either a rifle or pistol and in my professional opinion, I would prefer a rifle in a firefight." Andrew answered, in which Giulio grunted in understanding. Andrew then walked over to Annika, looked at her target and sighed.

"Ok, I know you are excited for combat but can you at least hit the target or else you are just becoming an anti-aircraft gun." Andrew commented. Annika's machine-gun spread was all over the place with about a quarter of the bullets hitting the target.

"I'm not really good at sitting around and firing from a distance. I like to run up and fight them head on!" Annika exclaimed. Andrew sighed and pinched his nose.

"I can tell but unless you are bullet proof then you are going to learn to engage from a distance or if you do rush then find some cover." Andrew commented. Annika nodded at this as Andrew wrote more on his clipboard. He then made his way to the two newcomers. The first one was a man with short blond hair and blond beard. From the slight wrinkles on his face, the man was 47 years old, shown by the wrinkles on his face. However, the most interesting parts of the man is that he has two scars on his face, one from his scalp to hi right eye while the other starts below his left eye and goes done his left cheek. He wears a sleeveless version of the Nameless uniform with a grey tank under it with three belts around his waist. He wears puffy red paints, similar to the pants they wore in medieval times, with the standard knee braces and black boots that many of the Nameless wear. On both his arms were tattoos that look similar to tribal tattoos that Andrew have seen on the American Samoans he has interacted back in the states and wears gloves on both of his hands. His name was Cedric Drake, Nameless number 25.

"Ok, Cedric let's see," Andrew then looked at Cedric's target and his eyes widened. Not only as the target hit but it was also cut in half. Cedric meanwhile was smiling in triumph.

"Well, looks like you are on hell of a shot with a machine gun. Though i can't say that about your usage with a rifle." Andrew commented, looking at his clipboard. Cedric had missed the mark 3 out of the 5 bullets he had fired at the range of 500 yards.

"Was never one that would sit behind some far off place and take pot shots. If you want to fight, fight me face to face. Plus, I can kill more Nazis with a machine gun than with a rifle." Cedric commented.

"Well, don't let your thirst for battle and glory get the best of you. You are no use to us dead." Andrew stated. Cedric laughed.

"I'm not gonna die. After all, I want to be there when they pronounce that I am a hero after killing a lot of Nazis for the defense of Gallia." Cedric stated while laughing. Cedric had made it clear when he arrived that he was actually a criminal and was here because he was given a choice of either jail or the Nameless. He chose the Nameless since there was a chance for an appealment.

"Well, we will just have to wait and see." Andrew said. He then made his way to the final person. It was the other newcomer. She was apparently a former nurse that was assigned the Gallian's Regular army Medical Corp and was transferred here for reasons she didn't want to tell. She wore a standard nurse uniform though now in the Nameless collars. On her head, she wore a nurse's cap on top of her short pink hair. She also had metal fasteners around her waist to be able to attach her medical bags she needs to treat combat wounds. She wore knee-high boots over black stockings and had armoured knee pads that covered most of her leg. She also wore gloves that went from her hands to her elbow, which were covered with armoured pads as well. Her name was Clarissa Callaghan, Nameless number 46.

Andrew looked at Clarissa's target and sighed, " Ok, can you tell me why you didn't hit the target? Or better yet, why you didn't shoot?" Her target had no hits and even more surprising was the fact that there were no bullet casings.

"I-I'm sorry but it didn't feel right to shoot." Clarissa answered. Andrew pinched his nose.

"And why is that?" Andrew asked. Clarissa opened her mouth but then closed it, not wanting her answer. Andrew looked at her and saw that she was avoiding his gaze, and sighed.

"Look, we all have our reasons for being here, and we are going to be conducting missions that will require use to kill people. I know you are our medic but if worse comes to worse, I need to know if you are going to shoot to help us or you are going to stay behind in camp and just help the wounded we bring in?" Andrew stated. Clarissa looked up to Andrew in shock.

"What? No, I will shoot if i have to. It's just-" Andrew raised his hand.

"I get it. You don't want to talk about it right now and that's ok. We have a long time before this war is over so I can wait, but if we are in a pickle, can I trust you to fire back?" Andrew asked. Clarissa hesitated for a bit then answered.

"Yes." Andrew the doubt in her eyes and sighed. He patted her shoulder.

"Get some more target practice. I will see if i can get you a better weapon than what you are using. That way, you can at least defend yourself." Andrew commented, looking at her weapon. In her hands was a Viper semi-automatic pistol. This gun was the gallian version of the famous Mauser C96 pistol, the "Broom Handle". From the looks, it is an exact copy of the German weapon but it has been altered by the Gallians a bit. The grip was more solid, similar to the grip see on revolvers. The barrel was longer than the Broom Handle, and had a wooden stock underneath the barrel. Another difference is that the barrel and stock were long enough to put a free hand on the barrel to make it it like a carbine. However, the main difference is that it fired 50 cal bullets and can hold six of them in its magazine. It's one of the reasons it is called the Viper, a heavy hitter and required a lot of training since the recoil of the weapon is bad and can be turned into a light anti-aircraft gun if possible.

"I don't get why they give you medics these things. It kicks like a mule and even with the 50 cal bullet, you can't maintain the accuracy." Andrew commented.

"Yeah, it hurts when I shoot it. The recoil is messing with my shoulder." Clarissa said, rubbing her right shoulder.

"For now, take a break from the Viper. Just use a rifle while I figure something out." Andrew ordered. Clarissa nodded and then Andrew turned to everyone else.

"Alright, from this point on, you can either continue training or call it for a day. If you are still going to train, then remember the rules on the firing range. Sergeant Rodriguez will be in charge of the range from now on." Andrew said, which caused some to groan. Andrew hid a smile as he left the range. He ran into Sergeant Rodriguez, who was waiting for him by a couple of trucks. Sergeant Antonio Jose Rodriguez was a hardened veteran of the Great War, making him more experienced with fighting against the Germans. The man wore the standard Nameless uniform but his tunic were sleeveless, showing a tattoo that covered the length of his entire left arm. He also had an eyepatch covering his left eye, probably lost his eye during the Great War.

"Well, they are all yours sarge." andrew stated as he left. Rodriguez nodded and walked over to the firing range. As Andrew made his way to the command tent, he could hear him give orders about safety on the firing range and chastising Cedric to being trigger happy.

' _Well, at least I don't have to worry about the squad getting too lazy. Just hope that they get better with employing guerrilla tactics. That would help us a lot in the future.'_ Andrew thought to himself. As he approached the command tent, he heard someone shouting and from the voice he knew who. Andrew sighed as he finally reached the tent to see that Kurt and Twenty-One talking, well more like Twenty-One yelling at Kurt while Kurt is maintaining a stern expression.

"Hey, No.7! I can't accept your leadership!" Twenty-One yelled. Andrew sighed. Ever since the ambush at the supply depot, Twenty-One has been doubting both Kurt and Andrew's ability to lead. Even though Gusurg came to their defense, stating that it was hard for them to predict the ambush, it didn't qwell Twenty-One's doubts.

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked, his tone neutral as possible.

"Well, for starters you want us to cross into German territory to attack a target that is going to be heavily guarded. Then you spring on us that we need to take out a hill that is occupied by the Germans in forty-eight hours?" Twenty-One stated. Andrew could get why he is mad. Crossing the border to hit a German base was one thing, but now they have been another task. There is a hill between Randgri and a fort in the south that was recently occupied by the the Germans and they have been using it to call in artillery strikes on Gallian forces in the area. So, High Command believed that since the Nameless were in the area that they take the hill.

However, that was easier said than done due to the fact that the hill is occupied by a company of Waffen SS troops supported by a platoon of King Tiger tanks, the heaviest tank that the German military can field. So in all, it was going to be a slugfest.

"Why in the world would you accept a mission like that?!" Twenty-One asked.

"No matter how dangerous, no matter how impossible, the orders from headquarters must be obeyed." Kurt replied. Twenty-one became confused at this.

"No matter?" He asked Kurt.

"Following orders transmitted through the chain of command is natural no matter what unit of the army you're in." Kurt replied. Andrew had to agree with that from his experience in the Marines but apparently to Twenty-One didn't see it that way.

"I want you to think about the other squad members for a second!" Twenty-One stated, "If you're a captain, shouldn't you think about how strong we are and raise an objection to the orders?!"

Andrew was about to step in until he heard footsteps. He turned to see Gusurg walking towards them, probably to ask about the noise.

"It's so noisy over here. What's going on?" Gusurg asked, curious as to what the commotion is all about. Twenty-One looked ready for a fight from that question.

"Stop talking!" He yelled, shocking Gusurg, "Gusurg, you knew about this mission right?!" Gusurg sighed and pinched his nose.

"Well, I knew that the mission was going to be quite difficult…" Gusurg stated. It was here that Andrew decided to chime in.

"The mission was given at the last minute. Apparently, a Regular Army unit is heading south for a mission so we have to attack to keep them occupied while the Regular Army heads to their mission." Andrew stated.

"We always are the tools for the regular army. If both of you knew, then don't you both think that we should protest against officers?" Twenty-One asked the both of them.

"Hm." Gusurg thought about it while Andrew just looked at the ground, given how he was once an officer himself back in the Soviet-American War. Before both men can answer, Kurt responded.

"The higher ups cannot listen to the requests of the soldiers in the field. In contrast, if we simply follow orders and complete our mission efficiently, that outcome is much more desirable." Kurt replied. This just pissed off Twenty-One even more.

"Don't joke around! If the only way to satisfy your desires is to sacrifice our comrades, then I will never forgive you!" Twenty-One yelled. Andrew stepped forward to prevent Twenty-One from doing anything rash.

"That's your decision." Kurt replied before leaving. Andrew then looked at Gusurg and both men nodded before Andrew went after Kurt.

"Bastard! And that Yank just agrees with him with everything." Twenty-One said. Gusurg glared at Twenty-One.

"Calm down, Felix." Gusurg said, using his real name when Kurt and Andrew were out of earshot.

"Gusurg, how can you still support them?! Especially taking orders from that Yank!" Felix demanded.

"What you were saying wasn't wrong but what Kurt said were good points as well." Gusurg answered, sighing then continued, "Felix, do you know why Kurt is in the Nameless?" Felix raised an eyebrow.

"No i don't" Gusurg closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"He's here for treason." Gusurg answered. Felix recoiled.

"You're lying! That guy wouldn't even fart in front of another person, how can he be guilty of treason?!" Felix asked. Gusurg continued on.

"Do you think that the higher ups would even listen to a man that is accused of treason." Gusurg asked. Felix gritted his teeth.

"Absolutely not…" Felix responded. The he thought of something.

"Gusurg, what is that guy actually guilty of." Felix asked, curiosity in his voice. Gusgr sighed.

"Even he doesn't know." Gusurg said.

"Huh?"

"It was unclear as to why he was accused of treason but soon after he was sent to this squad." Gusurg stated. Felix was shocked. That was not right at all.

"How is that…?!" Felix asked but was stopped when Gusurg raised his hand.

"He has never complained once. He's focused on rallying the squad." Gusurg stated, "He wants to fight as many battles as he can and prove to command that this squad is not worthless to be able to gain amnesty." Gusurg then cracked a smile.

"He's that kind of person." He said. Felix thought about that and just came with this conclusion.

"Accused of treason without evidence, no one deserves that kind of punishment." Felix stated, "But that man is still fighting every battle…"

"Kurt is always trying to make progress." Gusurg said, "He never gives up, never surrenders. He always looks towards the future and no matter how hard, he will give it his all."

"That is why No.7 is…" Felix said.

"That's why I asked him to be the captain of the squad. Not because of his rank or ability. It's because I like his way of life." Gusurg said.

"You saying I am misunderstanding the guy?" Felix asked.

"People like Kurt are easily misunderstood." Felix thought about it.

"I guess. But that yank though. I still don't trust him." Felix stated. Gusurg sighed.

"If you want to know, Andrew chose to come to the squad." Gusurg said. Felix looked at Gusurg, surprised.

"What?"

"He volunteered to come to this squad. From what I asked Alfons to look for me, he was once an officer himself. Fought in the Soviet American War from the first battles to the invasion of Russia itself. Though he didn't fight through to the end." Gusurg stated.

"Why?" Felix asked.

"He was discharged for disobeying a direct order from his CO. To the point where he knocked out his CO." Gusurg stated.

"What?! I can't imagine him doing that!" Felix stated.

"Well it happened. After that, he made his way to Europe and have fought against the Nazis. So, if we are talking about experience, he has the most out of all of us." Gusurg replied.

"I guess. Still, he should at least voice his concerns with the orders. If he did it once, you would think he would do it again." Felix stated.

"Oh he is probably doing it right now."

* * *

"You know he is right." Andrew stated. Andrew and Kurt were in his personal quarters discussing on the squad's performance as well as to discuss for a plan for the attack on the hill.

"I know he is. But regardless, these are the orders from high command so we have to follow it." Kurt stated. Andrew rubbed his chin in thought.

"Talk about attacking a lion in its den. We have a company of SS soldiers supported by four king Tigers. I have seen those things in action and let's just say that we need air support to be able to take those things out or some very accurate artillery." Andrew stated.

"Are they that armoured?" Kurt asked.

"Yup. Nothing short of arty or bombs can take those out unless you get behind them and even then that is hard to do." Andrew stated. Kurt began to think about it.

"We could do another night mission assuming that they don't know about us coming." Kurt suggested but Andrew shook his head.

"Too much risk. That platoon of tanks needs to be taken out first. We can attack but the moment our tank shows up, they can just gang up on Gusurg and we are without a tank. Though I do have an idea." Andrew suggested. We walked over to Kurt's desk and looked over the map.

"During one of our ambushes, we captured some Waffen SS uniforms, three of them to be precise. Now, if three people can sneak into their camp and sabotage their tanks then we have a chance." Andrew suggested.

"Who can even take out those tanks? I don't think none of us have even seen a King Tiger before?" Kurt said. He then realized something and looked at Andrew who was smirking.

"You seem to forget that I fought with and against the Germans and I have been close enough to some King Tigers to see where are their weak points." Andrew stated.

"Ok, so who are the other two that are going with you?" Kurt asked.

"That I do not know. I will probably need another day to assess everyone one more time before deciding. They have to know how to speak German for one and have to be sneaky to move around the camp and not get shot." Andrew stated. He then looked at his wrist watch, seeing as it was already 1730.

"Well, let's head over to the mess tent. Can't plan anything on an empty stomach." Andrew suggested. Kurt nodded and got up from his desk and stretched.

"You have a point there. Let's go." Andrew nodded and the both of them made their way to the mess tent. While heading there, Andrew thought of something.

"Oh, by the way, how was that scouting mission you and Riela did this afternoon?" Andrew asked. Before they left the Aslone area, Kurt and Riela had went on one last recon mission while Andrew was in charge of the camp. They came back looking worried and Andrew hadn't had the time to ask them.

"We saw around a division strength of infantry along with tanks and artillery and the Black Prince and Red Lotus are here in Gallia now." Kurt responded. After a few more steps, Kurt noticed that Andrew was not following. He turned to see that Andrew had stopped and his face was a bit pale.

"Are you ok?" Kurt asked, a bit concerned. Andrew looked at him and asked a question.

"Are you sure it was them? You positive?" Andrew asked.

"They were singing a marching song and we heard their names mentioned." Kurt responded. Andrew closed his eyes and gulped.

"Fuck. Why they hell are we heading over the border when the real threat is here?" Andrew asked.

"Command will handle it. Our main mission is still the lab over the border and taking this hill." Kurt replied with a raised eyebrow. Since coming to know Andrew from his first mission, he has never seen the American freak out or be really afraid of anything. Now, he was getting worried though he can't blame him for doing so. It was the Black Prince and Red Lotus after all.

' _Lelouch vi Britannia, "Black Prince", and Kallen vi Britannia, "Red Lotus" are two of the most dangerous commanders that the Nazis can bring to the table. They have been fighting in the Border Skirmishes and have yet to lose a single battle. I have had the luxury as well as the bad luck of fighting with them and fighting against them and let me tell you that I would rather not be on the battlefield if I am going to be fighting against them. Oh, how I would later eat those words.' -Andrew W. Vandegrift._

"I hope you are right with that. Lelouch and Kallen are two people you do not want to piss off. Trust me." Andrew stated. Kurt raised his eyebrows.

"You must know them pretty well." Kurt asked. Andrew sighed.

"That is a story for another day and believe me when I say that I do know them in a way. Anyway, let's go. I am getting hungry." Andrew said. Both of them finally reached the mess tent to find Giulio, Riela, and Amy standing around.

"What's up everyone? Who's in charge of dinner tonight?" Andrew asked. Giulio looked over to them and answered.

"Well, initially it was supposed to be Twenty-Three that is suppose to make dinner but she ran off somewhere so we are making it." Giulio stated. Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"So, you're just doing it for her?" Kurt asked.

"That's right.": Amy stated nonchalantly.

"She's not usually lazy, so just where did that empress go to?" Giulio asked, scratching his head. Kurt was surprised by this.

' _She should consider other people…'_ Kurt thought but then he remembered what Twenty-One had said earlier to him. With that in mind, he came to a decision.

"Alright, then why don't I cook?" Kurt suggested. Everyone looked at him, surprised.

"You are going to cook for us captain?" Amy asked.

"Is there a problem?" Kurt asked.

"No, not really. Your cooking is really cook so I am not complaining and I wouldn't mind a taste." Giulio stated. A few nights ago, Kurt was in charge of cooking dinner for everyone and it was so good that many of the Nameless would eat two or three helpings, leaving no leftovers.

"I'll cook my best meal then." Kurt stated, smiling.

'I'll help too! How about I help out with peeling or chopping something!' Riela offered, a bit excited to help. Andrew snickered a bit due it is obvious that Riela has a little thing for Kurt.

"Ok, why don't you help peel some potatoes first?" Kurt suggested.

"Sure! Leave it to me!" Riela declared as she rushed into the kitchen to get started. Kurt nodded and headed back to his cabin to prepare while Andrew chuckled.

"Oh, this is going to be interesting."

* * *

 _1830 hours_

"Ok, finished. I hope you are ready Kurt." Riela breathed. She had just finished peeling the last potato. Seeing nothing else to do, she decided to head towards to Kurt's cabin to ask if he is done with he has to do.

Meanwhile in his cabin, Kurt was taking measurements on spices to use for dinner. Since he was a kid working in his parent's store in Randgriz, he has always been able to create things that he had on hand and this applied to spices. As he made some more measurements, he leaned back and smiled.

"Perfect, there's no problems, we're at 83% complete," Kurt said to himself as he picked up the bowl he was using the mix the spices and examined it, "This is the crucial point, i have to consider the temperature and humidity." He smelled it and scrunched his nose.

"Need to add a slight sour taste and lessen the spicy aroma. A little less cumin, a little more fennel and cloves…" Kurt looked around his desk for the ingredients and added them in and mixed it together. He dipped a finger into the mix and tasted it. He frowned at what he tasted.

"No good, if it's like this then it would be too bitter," Kurt thought about it for a minute to try and come up with a solution, "If I add some onions and maybe a dash of turmeric? Or…" It was then that he heard a knock on his door.

"Kurt are you finished?" Riela's voice asked through the door. Kurt looked over his spices and then answered.

"Almost done. Why don't you go steam some saffron rice for me?" Kurt stated.

"Ok!" She responded before he can hear her footsteps walking away. Kurt then refocuses on his spices to be able to get the perfect mix.

* * *

 _2000 hours_

"Riela, is the food ready yet?" Felix asked.

"The main dish is finished, but we need to add the seasoning." Riela stated. Felix was surprised by this since by now dinner would usually be finished.

"How many dishes were cooked?!" Felix asked.

"Well, Kurt volunteered to cook for the squad today so he just gave me instructions and I am waiting on him. I should probably go ask if he is ready." Riela said then left to ask Kurt if he was finished yet.

Kurt in the meanwhile was still focused on his mix and was getting frustrated.

"Hm… this won't do, it's only at 72% complete now." Kurt said as he massaged his temple. He brought the bowl up and smelled it.

"It doesn't smell perfect." Kurt stated, "I might need to compromise a bit and use some allspice and cardamom...no. Definitely not." It was then there was a knock on the door.

"Kurt are you ready yet?" Riela asked through the door. Kurt looked at the mix and thought about it for a bit before wearing a determined look on his face.

"Almost done, I just need a final bit of inspiration." Kurt replied.

"Oh… I can just encourage then. Good luck Kurt!" Riela cheered before heading back to the mess tent. Kurt went back to work and then an idea came up.

"I got it…" Kurt stated as he reached for a cylinder.

* * *

 _2200 hours_

Riela was getting really nervous now as it has now been a few hours since Kurt said he was almost done and yet he hasn't responded. She is looking around and seeing everyone slowly getting agitated. Some of the members

"It's almost done, please just wait a little long…" Riela didn't finish the sentence when Gloria spoke up.

"I can't wait any longer! Aren't all the ingredients and rice already ready?" Gloria asked.

"Er, yes." Riela answered, a bit uncomfortable. Gloria then looked over to Giulio.

"Giulio! Just use some curry powder and call it good!" Gloria stated, getting hungry by the minute.

Giulio rubbed the back of his head, "I really want to try Kurt's seasoning though…"

"C'mon Giulio, I'm starving to death over here!" Annika moaned, slamming her head on the table.

"We can't just keep drinking water to fool ourselves anymore." Amy said, taking a gulp from her glass. On the other side of the tent, Felix couldn't take it anymore.

"I can't just let that guy satisfy his own ego anymore!" Felix stated. Meanwhile Andrew and Gusurg were sitting at another table and Gusurg chuckled.

"Well, I guess it can't be helped now can it?" Gusurg asked Andrew. Andrew shook his head and took a drink from his cup.

"Being use to not eating for days on end, this is nothing but since the rest of the squad is not use to it then might as well." Andrew replied, then chuckling himself. Felix looked over at both men in shock.

"Do you two really find this funny?!" Felix asked.

"No, but when I think of who Kurt is doing all of this for, I couldn't help but laugh." Gusurg replied, a bit surprised by Felix's outburst.

"Yeah, same here. Just thinking who he is doing all of this, I can't help but laugh at the current situation." Andrew replied, nonchalantly. Felix just looked at both men and realized that Kurt was actually taking his time to make dinner for the squad. Seeing Felix not respond, Gusurg sighed.

"Never mind. Anyway, Giulio, why don't you just make some curry for us then." Gusurg suggested. Giulio nodded and went to the kitchen to make some curry for the squad.

"Make sure to make is as spicy as possible." Andrew yelled after Giulio.

"Got it! Do you guys want a sweet flavor to the curry?" Giulio called from the kitchen.

"I don't care." Imca called back. As Giulio began making the curry, Andrew looked over to Gusurg.

"I wonder how long he is going to work on whatever he is doing for us?" Andrew asked.

"Probably next time, I actually am looking forward to it." Gusurg replied, smiling which caused Andrew nod and laugh.

* * *

 _April 19, 1935 0700 hours_

"Alright, it's done." Kurt said, looking at the completed mix in the bowl. He worked on it for hours and finally he has finished the perfect mix for the squad.

"This flavor for curry really matches today's spirit!" Kurt stated, with a smile on his face. He then put the mix into a bag and exited his cabin. He made his way to the mess tent.

"Riela, where is the pot?" Kurt said as he went into the tent but found that the only one in the tent was Amy, who was eating bread smeared with butter and a glass of milk. She looked up from her meal and saw Kurt.

"Oh, good morning captain." Amy greeted. She picked up an extra piece of toast and handed it to Kurt.

"Here have some toast." Amy said, then went back to eating her breakfast. Kurt was about to take a bite from the toast when he suddenly came up with an idea.

"Hm? Can you eat curry with bread?" Kurt said to himself. Just as he was thinking about that, Andrew walked in.

"Oh, there you are. I was looking for you." Andrew said.

"What is it?" Kurt asked.

"Well, I think I finally came up with a plan attack the hill. Need you for a meeting." Andrew stated. Kurt nodded and took a big bite from the toast and got up.

"Ok, let's go."

* * *

 _1000 hours_

"So, we are going to attack the hill tonight. However, the hill is about half a day's march so we are going to stage the assault here. We are going to only bring essential weapons and equipment with us. Leave everything here and we'll engage the enemy." Kurt said to the whole squad. The squad had gathered at the command tent to listen to the brief on their next mission.

"What are you planning?" Giulio asked, a bit curious about the plan.

"We aren't going to bring any food or water?" Twenty-One asked.

"Just bring some water and personal belongings. Leave everything else." Kurt replied, "For our plan to work, we need to move quickly for it to succeed." Felix gritted his teeth then his anger finally came out.

"Why are you so focused on speed?! Is this just fulfilling your ego?" Felix accused. Everyone sighed as they saw what was going to be another argument.

"It's in order to reduce the number of casualties." Kurt replied.

"What?" Felix questioned.

"We can replace supplies and vehicles, but we can never replace a squadmate well. Our squad is slowly growing, increasing our combat performance. Losing even one person will hurt us performance wise as well as emotionally. To prevent that, speed is needed for our plan to work." Kurt replied.

"What is our plan anyway?" Felix asked, getting a bit annoyed not knowing the plan is. Kurt looked over to Andrew and nodded for Andrew to take over.

"The plan is that me and two other members of the team are going to sneak into their camp and set explosives at certain locations. Then on my signal, set the explosives off and Kurt and the rest of the squad will rush in and wipe out the enemy." Andrew stated. Everyone, except One, were surprised by this plan.

"How are we going to sneak into their camp? I don't know if any of us can speak German." Annika stated.

"I can speak German thanks to my time fighting in the border skirmishes," Andrew then looked over at Valerie, "I read your file. You were once a professor at a university. So, that means you must have learned German correct?"

"I learned how to speak German when I was studying in college. I can still speak it fluently." Valerie answered. Andrew nodded and then looked over to Felix.

"Twenty-One, I know for a fact you learned German so you are my other member to come with me." Andrew stated.

"How did you know that?" Felix demanded.

"Look, you are coming along with me ok? But what Kurt said is true, to avoid casualties we need to move with surprise and speed. And since we are attacking a hill, they have the advantage of firing from the top down to us." Andrew said.

"Also, even if we attacked head on, we will take losses and if we even lose one person, our squad's morale will take a hit as well. Each member of the squad is precious so I will take any plan that will lower the chance of anyone being injured or killed." Kurt said. Felix was a bit shocked to hear Kurt say that given how he was always just thinking about the mission.

"You…" Felix said but didn't finish his sentence. He was slowly starting to respect Kurt, though not enough to acknowledge him as the captain of the squad.

"Ok, everyone get ready for the mission. We will move out soon." Kurt ordered. Everyone dispersed and Gusurg met up with Felix.

"Felix, do you understand Kurt a bit better now?" Gusurg asked.

"Hmph, that guy's an idiot." Felix answered. Gusurg chuckled.

"It's hard to tell if he is a idiot among geniuses or a genius among idiots." Felix just grumbled and walked away to get ready.

Meanwhile Kurt was talking to Andrew about something when Riela approached the pair.

"Excuse me, I have a question." Riela asked. Both men looked up after hearing her voice.

"What is Riela?" Andrew responded.

"Does Curry powder count as essential?" Riela asked. Andrew covered his mouth to cover the laugh that almost came out of his mouth while Kurt sighed.

"Leave the powder behind. We can't forget that speed and surprise is our main priority." Kurt replied. Andrew held in his laugh while Riela smiled, nodded, and went to get ready. Kurt then looked back at Andrew and frowned.

"OK, let's get back to business. And would you please stop laughing."

* * *

 _1800 hours_

The sun was setting for the day and the SS troops on a hill were now switching gears for the night. Guards were taking up positions to stand post for the night while others are just looking forward to getting some chow. Earlier today, they fired some shells at some passing Gallian Regular Army units but they don't know if they hit anything. Now, they are going to take it easy for the night given how the Gallians aren't making an effort to pushing them off the hill.

However, oblivious to them, three figures were sneaking up their way up the hill. From the outside, they look like your average Waffen SS soldiers, one armed with a 98K, one armed with a MP40, while the last one had a sturmgewehr. However, these three were Gallians and one of them was carrying a satchel filled explosives to destroy the King Tiger tanks that were positioned in certain positions on the hill.

Andrew was leading the trio, followed by Valerie and Twenty-One. They were getting closer and closer to the top and Andrew can see the positions that the Germans had made. There were foxholes dotted around the hill with the occasional machine gun nest here and there. Andrew can even make out the silhouette of one of the King Tiger tanks.

"Ok," Andrew turned around to Valerie and Twenty-One, "From this point onward, no English. Only German. Leave most of the talking to me and if you are asked something, answer it. Got it?" Valerie nodded but Felix just glared at Andrew.

"You got a problem Twenty-One?" Andrew asked, starting to get annoyed with Felix.

"Yeah, you were a mercenary before coming to Gallia. How can we know that you won't sell us out to the Germans for money." Felix stated.

"So, I assume you know about what I did in the Border Skirmishes?" Andrew asked, in which Felix nodded.

"Ok, well first off, I never sell out my squadmates so you don't have to worry about that." Andrew replied before turning around to continue.

"Yeah, like I can believe that." Felix commented. Andrew stopped and then turned around and got into Felix's face, with Valerie was debating on whether to intervene or not.

"Listen you fucking pissant, I am going to say this once. I never sell any of my squadmates out. Hell, I never fought with the Germans because if you forgot they hate Americans as much as anyone else. I have seen the shit they do and trust me, i hate all of it. Plus, in case you haven't fucking noticed I am killing Nazis so that eliminates the whole fucking purpose of me fucking being with them." Andrew growled. Felix was shocked a bit given how Andrew has always projected himself as a collected and nice person so seeing this side of him was a surprise. Andrew turned back to lead the group up the hill. The trio made their way up the hill in silence until they finally reached the first outlying tent undetected. They stopped to check their gear and then Andrew spoke up.

"In Alaska, during the beginning of the battle of Juneau, my unit was told to retreat from the outskirts of the city to a position near the town center to regroup," Valerie and Felix looked at Andrew as he continued his story, " We made it to the town center where we were later told that my unit was to stay there and hold it until relieved while I was ordered back to headquarters which had set up near the harbor. It was because I was a general's son and they wanted to remove me from the front line to another front. I protested, hell I even resisted but in the end I pulled back while my unit was to face the onslaught of the Soviets. I later found out my unit had been wiped out." Andrew turned to them and they saw he had tears forming in his eyes.

"I will not sell you out nor anyone from the Nameless. I lost a family once, I am not going to lose another one again. So, I am asking you both to trust me. Can you both do that?" Andrew asked. Both Valerie and Felix can hear the sincerity in his voice and knew then and there that he was serious.

"I trust you Andrew." Valerie answered. Andrew looked over to Felix for an answer. The silence was deafening with Felix's voice broke it.

"Felix Cowley," Felix responded causing Andrew to raise an eyebrow, "My name. It's Felix Cowley." Andrew then realized what he meant and chuckled.

"Alright, Felix and Valerie, let's show these bastards hell. Let's move." Andrew said. Both nodded, and with Andrew leading the way, they walked into the camp.

* * *

Kurt was looking through his binoculars as he scouted the hill. Him along with the rest of the Nameless were taking position in a house in a village near the hill. They were waiting for the signal, which was four explosions to signal that the tanks were taken out so that the Nameless can attack. Gusurg had positioned the tank in a way that would allow Gusurg to provide some fire support for Kurt when they assault the hill.

"When are they going to ignite those explosives? It's been thirty minutes since they left." Giulio asked, glancing over to his watch.

"Maybe they ran into trouble?" Riela stated, getting worried.

"Not likely, the Nazis would be having a field day if they caught them." Gloria said, smoking from her pipe.

"There will be a light signal. Once we see that, we move into position and then wait for the explosions." Kurt said. Kurt looked through his binoculars and scanned the hill. So far, he just saw Germans walking about while others on guard duty.

' _Those explosions better be enough.'_ Kurt thought to himself. He then suddenly caught a glimpse of something shining. He focused on that location, which was a tent and waited. Few seconds later, more flashes began to appear, in morse code. As kurt read the morse code, he pieced together the message.

' _Explosives set! Get ready!'_

* * *

"Ok, get ready all hell is about to let loose." Andrew stated. Both Felix and Valerie nodded as the trio were waiting inside a tent that use to house 2 SS soldiers, now dead thanks to their cut throats courtesy of Valerie and Felix.

"What are we going to do once the bullets fly?" Felix asked.

"We are going to head towards their command tent. Once there, we are going to kill all those bastards." Andrew noted. He looked outside to see that many of the soldiers were relaxing and eating dinner as well as he can spot the tankers thanks to their all-black uniform. From the commotion, they soldiers were letting themselves go a bit from all the fighting that they had to do in Gallia. One conversation caught Andrew's ear.

" _It's just a matter of time before we will have Gallia back in our Reich.'_ One of soldiers said to his buddies.

" _Yeah. With the Black Prince taking Fort Aslone, we will have a direct route to Randgriz."_ His friend replied. Andrew's eyes widened at that.

' _Aslone? No they must be lying.'_ Andrew thought to himself but a part of him believed them. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Felix.

"Are we good to go?" Felix asked.

"Yeah," Andrew pulled his left shirt sleeve to look at his watch, "The bombs should be setting off in thirty seconds." The bombs that Andrew, Felix, and Valerie were set on a timed fuse. As the bombs ticked, a patrolling soldier was walking by one of the tanks. As he was passing by the tank, he heard the ticking of the bomb. He turned around and walked to the bomb, and the moment he rounded the corner and saw the bomb. Before he could say anything, the bomb went off, killing the soldier as well as destroying the tank. The three other tanks also exploded,thanks to the bombs and also killing some soldiers who were unfortunately too close to the tanks. Everyone in the camp stopped whatever they were doing and looked over to the now burning tanks, trying to figure out what happened. That would cost some of them their lives because as soon as the explosions happened, they heard something whistling and a few moments later, a shell landed near a machine gun nest. If the shrapnel didn't kill the gunner and his loader, then the shockwave from the blast did. Then machine gun and rifle fire began hitting the German's defense as the rest of the Nameless began charging up the hill.

"Well, I guess it's time to get this party started." Andrew stated, as he cocked his MP40 and then nodding at Felix and Valerie. They both nodded at him and got their weapons ready. The trio then ran out of the tent and saw that the Germans were frantically running to set up some defensive positions. The trio made their way to the command tent, no one questioning them as the increased gunfire and screaming from the defense positions hinting that the Nameless are making progress.

"Ok, just let me do the talking." Andrew told Valerie and Felix. Both nodded, and Andrew took a deep breath and entered the tent followed by Valerie and Felix. Inside, soldiers were on the radio, trying to figure out what was going on while officers were surrounding a table, trying to figure out what was going on.

One of the officers saw Andrew and asked, " _Who are you? What are you doing here?"_

" _Sir, we spotted Gallians to the south. We are going to be surrounded."_ Andrew stated. The officers looked at him in shock and then back to the table.

" _If those bastards are in the south, then the frontal attack is just a diversion. Heinerich, take your platoon to the south and prevent those Gallians from hitting us."_ One of the SS officers, a Hauptmann, ordered.

"Jawohl." Heinerich replied.

" _I will lead you to where we saw them."_ Andrew suggested. The Hauptmann nodded and Andrew went out of the tent while looking at Valerie and Felix, telling them with his eyes to stay here. Both of them nodded as Andrew left the tent, with Valerie and Felix staying behind.

" _Ok, you,"_ the Hauptmann pointed at Valerie, " _Man that radio over there and try to get into contact with headquarters. And you, stand guard outside and make sure that no one not wearing a German uniform comes to us."_

" _Jawohl!"_ Both of them replied before heading out to perform the assigned duties.

* * *

' _This is going to be easy.'_ Andrew thought to himself as he lead the platoon with Heinerich to a position that was about 50 yards away from the command tent. He led them down the hill to the bottom and then stopped.

" _Where is the enemy?"_ Heinerich asked. The platoon was also confused because all they were seeing was an empty field with a road leading to the next town.

"Oh, I'm sorry I was mistaken." Andrew responded in English. The Germans all looked over to Andrew as he turned around wearing an evil grin and pointed his Schmeisser at the group.

"But you are not going to live to tell anyone." Andrew said before firing a long burst at the group. His initial burst hit Heinerich, 9 bullets hitting his chest killing him instantly. His initial spray managed to hit most of the platoon, either killing them or wounding them. Some of the soldiers tried firing back but Andrew was able to get them before they were able to fire a shot. One soldier did manage to fire a shot, missing Andrew's shoulder. Andrew turned around to shot the man but his submachine gun was already out of ammo. He tossed it aside and reached for his .45. The soldier was also working the bolt for his rifle, both men trying to ready their weapon before the other. Luckily Andrew was a lot quicker and pulled out his .45 and unloaded his entire clip magazine into the soldier. The soldier dropped to the ground, dead from the 9 .45 bullets that hit his chest. Andrew took a look around to confirm that there were no survivors. Once he sees there is none, he walks over and picks up a sturmgewehr, some magazines, and a few grenades and then headed back to the command tent.

Once he reached the command tent, he saw Felix standing outside the tent.

"You ready?" Andrew asked, handing Felix a grenade.

"Yeah, but Valerie is still inside." Felix stated.

"Then we are going to be quick. Do not stop, shoot every kraut in there." Felix nodded and Andrew entered the tent. Andrew saw Valerie working on the radio with the German commander while the rest of the staff were working on their own thing. The German commander looked up and looked at Andrew with a perplexed look.

" _What are you doing here? Where is Heinerich?"_ The German commander asked.

"Dead, and you all will be seeing him and your comrades very soon." Andrew replied before pointing his sturmgewehr and firing a burst into the commander's chest, killing him instantly. Felix then pointed his submachine gun and fired at two other Germans, killing them. The SS soldiers left tried to pull their weapons out but Valerie got up from her seat, pulled out a Luger pistol she in in her back, and emptied her magazine at the remaining SS troops. The whole thing lasted only a minute and in that time, the trio were able to kill the entire SS command for this company.

"I thought it would be a lot harder." Felix mused as he surveyed the damage.

"You are right. But we got them by surprise, so this won't be a common thing to get use to. Ok, gather anything that is useful. We need to link up with Kurt and the others." Andrew stated. The trio began gathering papers and any intel that would help the Gallian forces. As they were gathering information, Andrew stumbled upon a map that showed all the German units currently deployed in Gallia.

"Well, this is going to be useful." Andrew said, folding the paper and putting it in his pocket. As they were finishing up, they heard footsteps approaching and all of them turned to the entrance of the tent, weapons drawn but lowered them when they saw it was Amy who walked through the entrance.

"Kurt wants you all to help us eliminate the remaining SS resistance. They are using one of the destroyed tanks as cover and are making a last stand." Amy reported.

"Alright, lead the way Amy." Andrew stated. Amy nodded and left the tent with the trio followed.

* * *

Kurt jumped over a crate and leaned against it as machine gun fire began hitting the crate, the crate absorbing the fire but it won't last long. Riela was beside him firing her M4 rifle at the SS soldiers before ducking as well.

"Why won't they give up? There is no way they can win." Riela commented as she took out her now empty clip and inserted a new one for her rifle.

"They swear loyalty to their Kaiser. They would rather die than disappoint him with surrender." Kurt stated. He looked to his right and saw Annika, Alfons, and Cedric behind some sandbags with Cedric using an MG42 against its former owners while Annika was helping Cedric with the ammo belt and Alfons working on the radio to try and coordinate with Gusurg on providing some fire support.

Kurt looked back at the German position and saw that they were using the hull of the destroyed King Tiger as cover as the 8 remaining soldiers were firing as if it was going out of style. Two bullets whizzed over Kurt's head and he ducked back.

"Careful, we can't lose our captain so soon." A voice said. Kurt looked at the source and saw that Amy had returned with Andrew, Valerie, and Twenty-One.

"Were you successful?" Kurt asked. Andrew nodded.

"Their leadership is gone but that ain't going to convince those soldiers. We have no choice but to kill them all." Andrew stated.

"We are trying to get Gusurg to provide some fire support." Kurt stated, nodding his head towards Alfons. Andrew looked over to where Alfons was and made a quick decision.

"I'll be right back." Andrew said as he ran towards Alfons, dodging bullets from the SS and laned next to Alfons.

"Give me the radio." Andrew told Alfons, who gave him the radio.

'How far is the tank?" Andrew asked Alfons.

"About 75 yards. The tank is at the bottom of the hill with the rest of the squad, looking after some enemy wounded and prisoners." Alfons stated. Andrew nodded and got on the radio.

"Six, this is Twenty-Eight. Fire mission, enemy machine-gun position. Elevation 20 degrees, right 70, one round HE."

"Roger. Firing." At the bottom of the hill, Gusurg worked the tank turret and aimed it up all the way to the maximum elevation of the tank and rotated the tank to the right angle and then fired a round, surprising the members of the Nameless who were guarding the SS POWs. The round soured through the air and after a few seconds, landed about 15 feet to the right of the tiger.

"Adjust 15 left, one round H.E" Andrew said through the radio. After a few more minutes, the tank gun fired and sure enough this round hit the tiger in its turret, killing seven of the SS soldiers, while mortally wounding one of the soldiers. Kurt and the Nameless began to approach the wounded soldier who pulled out a Luger.

" _Drop it now!"_ Andrew yelled in German.

" _Glory to the Reich and to Kaiser Byzantium vi Britannia!"_ The SS soldier screamed and then pointed his pistol into his mouth. Before anyone can do anything, the soldier pulled the trigger and killed himself.

"Damn, we almost had him." Cedric stated.

"Honestly, I would have been surprised if he didn't shoot himself." Andrew commented.

"Is everyone alright?" Kurt asked everyone. He got oks from everyone with Annika having a small wound from a grazed bullet.

"Alright, with this the mission is over! Let's regroup with everyone at the bottom of the hill on the double."

* * *

"We did it! We won!" Riela cheered as everyone regrouped around the Nameless tank.

"The enemy couldn't keep up with our speed. They had no time to set up an actually defense." Gloria stated as she looked over to the group of prisoners that was being watched over Serge and Guilio.

"We did it again! Kurt is amazing!" Annika cheered.

"I would love to take drink from some good liquor but sucks that we left behind our stuff back at base camp." Andrew commented, licking his lips at the thought of drinking some whiskey.

"That's right." Riela commented, thinking that they could have had a party for another successful mission if they had their stuff with them.

"There is no helping it, I guess we should just rest here for now…" Felix said but then Kurt interjected.

"Everyone, listen up! We are heading back to base camp to get our supplies." Kurt ordered. This ordered surprised everyone and it even angered Twenty-One a bit.

'What?!Weren't you prepared to throw our supplies away?!" Twenty-One asked.

"Everything has value," Kurt explained then looked at Twenty-One, "How could we just leave behind everything like that? Return to camp!"

"C'mon, let us rest a bit! We just finished a mission." Felix stated.

"Yeah, let us rest." Fifty-Six stated as well.

"My curry powder is back there!" Kurt emphasized, surprising everyone though Andrew knew what kurt meant and smiled.

"Is curry really that important?!" Twenty-One demanded, not believing what he was hearing

"Of course! Without it, I wouldn't be able to let you taste the best curry of all time! No matter what, I want you guys to taste it!" Kurt argued back. Everyone looked at Kurt as if he was insane but then Andrew started laughing.

"Sweet Jesus, our captain has absolutely no sense of humor at all." Andrew said while laughing. Everyone didn't understand but then one by one, they began to catch on and chuckled themselves.

"If you're this eager, then it must be delicious." Gusurg stated, chuckling.

"Of course." Kurt stated with a straight face, causing some of the Nameless to laugh themselves. Felix thought about what just happened. Perhaps, Kurt really does care for the squad if he is going out of his way just to get curry powder to give the squad a good meal, so….

"... alright, then why don't we make a bet then?" Twenty-One asked Kurt.

"Ok what is it?" Kurt answered, causing Twenty-One to grin.

"Very well, if I like what you've cooked, then I'll tell you my name." Twenty-One offered.

"Is that okay? The bet is quite uneven." Kurt replied.

"Is it really worth the hike back to camp for some curry powder?" Twenty-One asked. Kurt closed his eyes in thought before answering.

"Don't cry when you eat…" Kurt started but then Twenty-One took that as a challenge.

"Who's going to cry, you idiot! Let's go!" Twenty-One said before walking off towards where their base camp is.

"Let's make this curry crazed man ashamed of himself!" Twenty-One called back.

"He is going to eat those words." Kurt said, causing Andrew to chuckle.

"You amaze me every single day." Andrew commented.

"Yeah, that was good Kurt." Gusurg commented as he began to climb the tank.

"That's right…. This way, the squad will become even stronger." Kurt replied, smiling. Andrew chuckled.

"Alright. You take the squad first, I will stay back with Giulio and Serge and wait until a Gallian Regular Army unit arrives to take the prisoners off our hands." Andrew stated. Kurt nodded and began rallying the squad to head back until Andrew called out to Kurt, and what he said made Kurt chuckle.

"You better leave some curry for me or else when I am in charge I ain't giving you any of my own Virginia BBQ."

 **So, I am back. I apologize it took so long with this chapter, my computer crashed and I lost a good chunk of the story so I had to rewrite it. I hope you all enjoy the chapter and as always if you have any questions, feel free to leave a review or PM. Have a great day everyone.**


	21. Chapter 19: Love in War

Chapter 19: Love in war

(A/N: This story is written for entertainment purposes.)

April 20,1935

Charlotte sighed as the after-action briefing came to an end. Ever since the air battle over Randgriz, the squadron has been one of the only squadron that is still considered combat operational. As a result of that, the squadron has been getting more missions, such as recon, bombing, and intercepting bombing raids. So far, it has been mainly recon missions and defensive missions as the GRAC had to recollect itself after the air battle. The after-action report was bad: around 85% of the entire GRAC was either destroyed or damaged to the point where they could not operate. Ironically, the 66th Fighter squadron and another Darcsen fighter squadron and a few squadrons were still combat ready but it was the Darcsen squadrons surviving that surprised the Gallian High Command. They assumed that they wouldn't have survived this long but now those Darcsen squadrons are not the most experienced squadrons in the entire and GRAC and that irked command but was a source of pride for the pilots.

"The Luftwaffe is getting more and more ambitious ever since Randgriz." Charlotte said to herself. Anna was next to her and nodded.

"Yeah, seems like having the Black Prince in Gallia with them gave them a big morale boost." Anna stated. During the recent after-action brief, Mara added the note that the Black Prince had arrived in Gallia and that caused everyone except Charlotte to gasp and shudder in fear. It took Jake to explain to Charlotte who he was to get her to actually be afraid for Gallia.

"Well, he is the army's problem. What I am worried about is the situation we have on the squadron. You noticed it right?" Charlotte asked Anna who nodded. Ever since that argument in the hangar, Jake and Mara have not been on good terms with each other. They have avoided each other on base, and would get into arguments during briefings and during missions. And this not only affected them but also the entire squadron as well.

"I wonder how long they are going to act like that, you know considering how they feel for each other." Anna said before realizing what she said and covered her mouth. Charlotte gave Anna a curious look.

"Feel for each other? What do you mean by that?" Charlotte asked. Anna looked around the room to try to escape and then saw Lucas in the corner.

"Oh, Lucas there you are! We have to go c-check….. On the supplies for our planes! Right, Lucas and I have to go now Charlotte. Bye!" Charlotte couldn't get a word in until Anna ran towards and then dragged the confused Lucas away from the briefing room.

' _That is weird. What is she hiding?_ ' Charlotte thought as she got up and left the briefing room. She made her way towards the hangar where she was to meet Pedro for an update on his search but she already knows what his answer is. It has been the same answer since she got here but a part of her is hoping something will be different.

She arrived to the hangar and saw Pedro talking to Ben She walked towards them and once she was close, both men noticed her.

"Charlotte, how are you doing today?" Ben asked. Charlotte smiled at the question. Ben, even though he gets frustrated with the bullet-holed planes and drinks as if alcohol was water, is the father figure of the squadron and has comforted Charlotte everytime she gets bad news about her husband's whereabouts.

"Doing good so far, though I doubt that is all going to end here." Charlotte replied. Ben gave her a sad look along with Pedro.

"Senorita, I am sorry but I am doing my best. I can't seem to find any records about your husband's whereabouts. All I know is that he was at Vasel during that huge battle, after that there have been no sighting of him. I was able to get this photo from a reporter who took his picture after fighting that first battle." Pedro said as he pulled out a photo and handed it to Charlotte. She took and saw the photos was Andrew standing next to a couple of Gallian army officers, his M1 in hand, and pointing towards an enemy position. Charlotte sniffed as she ran a finger over the photo, then sighed as she pocketed the photo and then pulled out some cash.

"Here is the next payment. Please keep trying." Charlotte said. Pedro looked uneasy at taking the money as he was slowly feeling sorry for the woman. He may be a black marketeer but he was still human.

"Keep the money, I will keep looking for you free of charge." Pedro offered but Charlotte shook her hand and placed the money in Pedro's hand.

"I can't accept that. Take the money and let me know what you find next." Charlotte stated. Pedro looked over to Ben who just nodded.

'Alright senorita, I will try." Pedro replied before taking his leave, heading towards an armored car where a short woman wearing a Gallian uniform was waiting for him.

"He supplies a special forces unit with ammo and supplies every now and then. I think they are the 422nd or something like that." Ben said as they looked on as Pedro began talking to the woman.

"I see." Charlotte muttered. Ben looked over to her and frowned.

"Come with me." Ben said. Charlotte gave him a confused look but followed him as he led her to her fighter, then got on the left wing and sat.

"Sit. Looks like you need a drink." Ben stated, pulling out a flask and offering it to her. Charlotte looked at the flask with hesitation but then took the flask and took a swig. She pulled the flask from her mouth then coughed. Ben chuckled.

"Takes getting used to." Ben stated as Charlotte returned the flask to him. She took a seat next to him and sighed.

"How is your husband like?" Ben asked out of the blue. Charlotte looked at Ben in surprise but saw what Ben was trying to do so she answered.

"Andrew… he is a bit eccentric. He does things that will protect people and won't listen to orders that are not right. He is serious when he has to be but he is funny and sweet. He protects the people he loves, especially me. Like this one time, there some drunk guys in a bar that were being rude and one of them tried to get me into bed. I turned him down but he wouldn't stop so I tried to get away but he grabbed my arm to stop me. Next thing you know, Andrew punches the guy and starts a fight right then and there in the bar. MPs showed up later to break up the fight, though by that time Andrew had dragged me out of the bar and we spent the rest of the night in a hotel room." Charlotte explained, a pink hue developing on her cheeks.

"Sounds like he is a good man to his woman." Ben commented.

"Yeah he is." Charlotte replied, a hint of sadness in her voice. Ben quickly changed the subject.

"So, how did you two meet?" Ben asked. Charlotte took a deep breath before answering.

"It was actually during the Siege of Juneau. I was flying off the escort carrier _Chapultepec_ , providing air support for the marines in the city. It's funny, it was in that hell that I would meet my future husband.

 _March 1, 1932 Juneau, Alaska_

" _I have one on me!" Charlotte cursed as she saw her wingman take multiple hits from cannon fire and burst into flames, falling out of the sky. She turned her Wildcat in the direction of the fire and fired a wild short burst, miraculously hitting the Yak fighter in the cockpit, killing the pilot. The enemy fighter burst into flames and began to fall out of the sky but then another Yak fighter appeared and began to give chase to Charlotte. The two planes began a fierce duel to try and to shoot down the other. Charlotte tried to outturn the Russian fighter but it was no use, the Yak fired a burst from its machine guns and cannon and it ripped into her wing. Her wildcat began trailing smoke and Charlotte had no choice but to bail out._

" _Goddamnit! I fucking hate these Russians!" Charlotte declared as she pulled the ejection lever on the left side of her cockpit. The canopy burst open and Charlotte angled the fighter to the right, all the while the Russian was still firing at her. She managed to get her straps off and she turned the plane over with the top now facing the earth. She pushed herself out of the cockpit and descended from the plane to the earth for about six seconds until she pulled her parachute string, deploying the parachute. As she descended down to the earth she looked to see the Yak that was chasing her was now engaged with a dogfight with two US Army Air Corp P40s._

" _Oh, so now the damn army gets involved." Charlotte mused to herself as she descended onto the city of Juneau. She looked out to the city and it was as if she was seeing hell itself. The Russian's 6th Guards Army supported by the 1st Shock Army have penetrated the American defenses and are currently fighting street by street in the city. The city's defense only consisted of the 1st Marine Division, which consisted of the 1st, 5th, and 7th Marine Regiments. However, the Americans have held the line but from what Charlotte remembered from her briefing, the Russians are getting closer and closer to the harbor and if they take the harbor then the defenders will have to go across the port to the other side of the city and will effectively be cut off. They could not let that happen._

 _Charlotte descended for a few more minutes before landing inside the second floor of a destroyed building. Her parachute got caught on the roof and she pulled out a knife to cut the straps off. She dropped onto the floor and immediately pulled out her .45 pistol._

" _Ok, I have to make my way to an American unit before the Russians find me." Charlotte told herself as she made her way to the stairs. She walked down to see that downstairs was a lot worse than upstairs. The doorway was completely blown up and the walls were riddled with bullet holes. As she got to the first floor, she also saw a pair of Marines on the floor behind some sandbags with a M1917 machine gun pointing out towards the street. She checked their bodies and saw that they were both shot through the head with one bullet, indicating a sniper. She sighed, made the sign of the cross, and picked one of their rifles, a M1 carbine. Just as she was about to leave, she heard footsteps approaching and judging from the voices, they were Russian. She went into the kitchen and crouched behind a wall. She peeked out to see four Russians entering the building and inspecting the dead Marines and the M1917. Two of them were talking to each other while the other two were inspecting the Marines bodies and even taking some things from their bodies. She then noticed one of them take the boots off one of the marines and measured it with his foot._

' _So the reports are true. The Soviets are having supply problems since they lost at Anchorage.' Charlotte thought to herself as she shifted and then her foot hit a tin can and it rattled on the ground. She stopped her movement when the Russians stopped talking. She held her breath as one of them said something and then she heard footsteps approach her. She readied the carbine and was ready to fire when suddenly the sound of submachine gun fire echoed through the air. She heard the Russians scream and even some of the bullets penetrated the wall above her head. She closed her eyes and after a minute, the firing stopped. She opened her eyes and let the breath she holding go. She peeked outside and saw that all the Russians were dead minus one who was wounded and on the ground in pain. She then heard footsteps and got back into cover, she then heard English._

" _Enjoy hell Ivan." The voice said before firing a shot, ending the Russians life. Charlotte stayed in cover for a bit before the voice called out, "Whoever is in the kitchen, come on out. We aren't going to hurt you." Charlotte sighed as she got up from the wall and walked back into the room. Who she saw was a couple of Marines standing in the room with a squad outside, keeping watch._

" _You the person that the Russian were about to pop?" A marines asked. Charlotte looked at the collar and saw a Gold Bar, a Second Lieutenant._

" _Yeah. If you didn't show up, i think they would have killed me or worse." Charlotte said, shuddering. She heard of the stories of the female soldiers and pilots that the Russian have captured and what they have done to them._

" _Don't worry…." The Marine said but stopped since he didn't know her name._

" _First Lieutenant Charlotte Dubois, Marine Fighting Squadron 155." Charlotte introduced._

" _Second Lieutenant Andrew W. Vandegrift, Dog Company, 7th Marines Regiment…. Or what's left of it at least." Andrew mused sadly. Charlotte can tell that he suffered through hell and judging from their attire that they had barely any rest from the fighting._

" _The 7th was wiped out?" Charlotte asked, in disbelief._

" _Not really, we still have four companies out of the six we usually had. But the 5th was wiped out and the 1st has been whittled down only two companies. So we are the only regiment that can really put up a fight." Andrew informed Charlotte._

" _Well, you won't have to worry. I heard that the army and the Canadians were coming to relieve you guys." Charlotte heard Andrew and the other marine groan._

" _Great. You would think they would reinforce Anchorage first before coming for us." Andrew noted. Charlotte gave him a confused look._

" _You don't know?" Charlotte asked._

" _Lady, we barely get any news anymore. So if you know something, please tell us." Andrew stated._

" _Anchorage was liberated by the army on the 25th. They are sending the 11th Airborne with the 20th Armoured Division to Juneau in a few days to relieve you all along with some units from the Canadians." Charlotte stated, remembering her pre-mission briefing for the day. There was silence as the marines took the information in._

" _Well, shit I guess we are getting relieved." The marine next to Andrew commented. Then a voice sounding Australian called from outside._

" _Boss, we better move. I see another scouting party heading our way."_

" _Ok, Kurasame, grab the . We are going to need that." Andrew ordered._

" _Got it sir." Kurasame said, going over to the and began to dismount it. Andrew then looked over to Charlotte and eyed the carbine._

" _Can you use that weapon First Lieutenant?" Andrew asked. Charlotte gave him a determined look._

" _I am a Marine too. I am ready for a fight." Charlotte stated. Andrew smiled at Charlotte causing her to blush for some reason and feel warm inside._

' _Why am I blushing? Well, he is cute though." Charlotte thought to herself._

" _Outstanding." Andrew said. He then looked and saw Kurasame already heftying the . He nodded his head towards the exit and along with Charlotte they all walked out to the street and ordered, "Alright, we are heading back to headquarters. Let's move!"_

* * *

"So, that was your first time meeting your husband? Him saving your sorry ass?" Ben asked, a bit surprised that was how they met compared to what usually constitutes as first meetings.

"Yeah, weird isn't it? The man who I would come to love with my whole heart would save me from being killed or worse. After we left that building, we fought an engagement against a Russian advance before we finally reached the Juneau defense HQ. A few days later, the army finally arrived and from then on we kept in touch, one thing led to another, and well the rest is history." Charlotte replied, smiling at the memories.

"Well, I am glad that out of that hell you were able to find love and act on it. I wish Mara would act on it." Ben said. He then realized what he just said and his eyes widened as Charlotte began to get suspicious.

"What did you mean by that? What is their relationship?" Charlotte asked. Ben sighed, he blurted it out so now he has no choice but to say it.

"Back in the Great War, Jake and Mara served in the same squadron. He was there when Mara became the first Darcsen to fight in the GRAC."

"Yeah, I know that. They have been partners ever since right?" Charlotte asked.

"Well, I suppose you could say that they have a bit more of a…. Romantic connection, as you young people say." Ben explained. Charlotte took a minute to take that info in then jumped up.

"THOSE TWO LOVE EACH OTHER?!" Charlotte screamed.

"Hey, hey shut it. DOn't blurt it to the whole world." Ben scowled as he looked around to see if anyone heard that but luckily no one was in the hangar.

"But if they love each other, why are they not together?" Charlotte asked.

"The two never acted on those feelings kid. Hell, they never really admitted them to each other. Here in Europa , they would face a whole lot of trouble for it. Jake would have been forced to resign his commission and Mara would have barred from ever receiving a medal or any kind of promotion ever again. Though she never really received a medal at all for all I know." Ben told Charlotte who got angry at that.

"Why the hell would any of that happen? Just because you love someone doesn't mean it would cost you a career." Charlotte stated. If she and Andrew had to suffer just because they love each other and were forced apart, she could not imagine what she would do.

"You seem to keep forgetting that this is not America. Outside America, being a Darcsen means squat to everyone else. Doesn't matter how well Mara flew or how many German planes she shot down. People like her always get sidelined while command puts other in the spotlight." Ben replied.

"Then why don't they just secretly date?" Charlotte suggested.

"That would make it just worse. Trust me, a secret romance between those two would be a scandal that the army would love to publish." Ben stated.

"Damnit! Then when Mara slapped him…." Then Charlotte pieced it together. Mara slapping Jake for comparing her to her mortal enemy was like him telling her he never loved him and she knew that even though they were mad at each other, they were really hurting inside.

"I can't let this continue. They need to act on their feelings or else they would never be happy or know that they each love each other mutually." Charlotte stated.

"So what are you gonna do? Play matchmaker with the Captain and her XO?' Ben asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I am," Charlotte exclaimed, "I assume the squad knows as well. I am going to get everyone to help out in this so that they can find love."

"Well, don't expect any help from Lucas. All that kid knows is killing Nazis." Ben stated.

'And hating me. What is the damn deal with him? I swear." Charlotte asked, frowning.

"Well, when Lucas was a kid, the Great War just started. The Germans pushed into Gallia and mowed down the soldiers defending his village. The Darcsens were put to work in the mines nearby and Lucas...he got that brand on his face from an SS Officer with a red hot brand. And around this time, people kept thinking that the Americans would arrive and send the Nazis packing. But they never did. He blames his four years of suffering on your people. And when someone that young goes through that much pain, they need someone to blame it on," Ben explained.

"He does know we were occupied with a war with Mexico. They tried to invade us so we couldn't spare anyone to send to Europe." Charlotte stated, remembering the stories her father told her of the Second-Mexican War.

"Well, if you are going to do this matchmaking thing, just don't expect Lucas to help." Ben said as he took another swig from his flask.

"Well, in that case I guess I will just have to get Anya to help then. I'm sure I can get her to help." Charlotte said as she got up.

"Thanks for the talk Ben. I really needed that." Charlotte said, smiling.

"No problem kid. Anytime." Ben said as Charlotte nodded and went off to go find Anya.

'This girl can probably get those two to finally act their feelings out. Maybe those two can stop being stubborn and admit to each other that they love each other." Ben said to himself as he got up and stretched.

"Well, no time to worry about that now. Gotta fix Anya's plane again. That girl is going to give me an aneurysm someday I swear." Ben sighed as he made his way to Anya's plane, which was again out of commission due to the amount of bullet holes on the side of her plane.

 **Hope you guys like the new chapter. It's a short one compared to what I usually write but wanted to get a chapter out since this next month I am going to be busy with personal and school tasks so the next chapter will probably come around June. If you all have any questions, feel free to PM me. Also I wanted to say thanks to those who have reviewed, f** **avorited** **, and followed this story. I really appreciate it.**


	22. Chp 20: Scrapyard rescue

Chapter 20: Scrapyard Rescue

April 21, 1935, 1020 hours

 **A/N: This is a work of fiction. Valkyria Chroicles belong to Sega as well as any characters belong to their respective owners.**

"AHHHH! DAMN!" Andrew yelled as Clarissa applied some alcohol onto a wound that he received from a German sniper.

"Hold still. This would be a lot quicker if you didn't move so much." Clarissa scowled as she then wrapped the wound in a bandage and tied it tightly to stop the bleeding. The Nameless had just attacked a random German patrol and the mysterious thing is that this patrol was encountered well into Gallian territory which was supposed to be clear of any German forces. Kurt reported this to Crowe who said he would look into it but was told to continue onto the secret lab nevertheless. However, Andrew was the only one to get wounded in the fight, even Riela who usually gets wounded wasn't wounded. So here he was, in the medical tent with Clarissa treating his wound.

"There the wound should heal pretty quickly now. Just don't push yourself for awhile." Clarissa stated. Andrew nodded and was about to leave until he began to realize something.

"Clarissa, do you have a minute?" Andrew asked Clarissa.

'Of course, what is it?" Clarissa answered.

"You are really different from everyone else in the Nameless. I have read the reports of everyone, either they pissed someone off or did something insubordinate that they were sent to the Nameless. Hell, back in the beginning in the war there were also convicted criminals though Cedric is an example of one. But you, you are an enigma to me. You have a heart of someone who would better serve in a hospital so why are you in the Nameless?" Andrew asked curiously.

Clarissa sighed and she took a nearby chair and sat down, "In the beginning of the war, I actually was a part of the regular army. I was a nurse at a hospital near the front-lines. Everyday, I would treat wounded soldiers as they come in and in the beginning it didn't affect me that much but as the war got worse and more worse cases came, I began to get use to all the death around me as more and more soldiers died. I even believed that I was losing my humanity until one fateful day they brought in wounded German soldiers was what really changed my life.

 _March 25, 1935 1120 hours_

" _WOUNDED! WE GOT WOUNDED COMING THROUGH!" Clarissa heard someone shout as there were a lot of footsteps outside the room she was in. She sighed as she can already hear the screams of the wounded. Ever since the war took a turn for the better for Gallia after the battle of Vasel, there have been more and more wounded coming through. She has seen so many soldiers die by this point that she began to feel empty when she sees a soldier die and that scared her. But now was not the time to worry about that, she picked up the tray that was stacked with medicine and exited the room. She walked down the hallway and entered a room where a doctor was sitting at a desk, looking over some paperwork._

" _Here are the penicillin you need doctor." Clarissa said, placing the tray on the table._

" _Thank you Clarissa. Oh, since you are here," the doctor picked up a piece of paper and handed it to Clarissa, "There is a patient we need you to treat. Room 2A."_

" _Understood. I will be on my way." Clarissa answered then left the room. It took her a couple of minutes to reach room 2A but what surprised her was the two armed guards outside the room._

" _Um, excuse me. I am here to treat a prisoner." Clarissa said showing the paper the doctor gave her. One of the soldiers looked over the paper and nodded._

' _Go on ahead ma'am." The soldier stated. Clarissa entered the room and found that there was only one patient in the room. The patient was sitting on the bed, looking out the a window. She approached the patient and took a seat next to his bed._

" _Hi, my name is Clarissa Callaghan. I will be your nurse." Clarissa introduced herself. The soldier looked at her confusingly before replying._

" _ **My name is Peter Walter. I am now in your care."**_ _The patient said in perfect German. Clarissa's eyes widened and now understood why there were guards outside. This patient was a German prisoner of war._

" _ **My name is Clarissa. I will be your nurse"**_ _Clarissa answered back in German. Peter smiled._

" _ **I am truly blessed to have such a beautiful nurse tending to me. I am in your care."**_ _Peter responded, causing Clarissa to blush._

' _He is different from the other German POWs. He is a lot nicer and….. He is kind of cute.' Clarissa thought as she began to run through the checks with him to make sure everything was ok._

* * *

"I think I can already know where this is going." Andrew stated as he watched Clarissa look at the ground. He has heard of this before from other soldiers about falling in love with the nurses that treat them.

"You fell in love with him?" Andrew asked. Clarissa nodded.

"It didn't happen until much later. He was at our hospital for a month before he left." Clarissa stated.

"And they sent you to the Nameless just for falling in love with him? I mean yeah it is a bit of a problem if you fall in love with an enemy soldier but I think it is a little harsh just to send you to the Nameless because of that." Andrew commented. Clarisa bit her lip and fidgetted.

"That wasn't the only reason why I was sent to the Nameless." Clarisa stated, causing Andrew to raise an eyebrow.

"What was the other reason then?" Andrew asked.

"Well, I-" Clarisa was interrupted by Felix's voice.

"Andrew! Hey, Andrew where are you?! Kurt is looking for you!" Felix yelled outside the tent. Andrew sighed and got up.

"Well, I guess it will have to wait then, " Andrew walked to the entrance to the tent and then turned around, "And Clarisa, nothing is wrong with falling in love with an enemy soldier. Just be ready when news come that he may be dead or a POW." He then walked out of the tent to leave Clarisa to her own devices. She clutched her chest where her heart was and closed her eyes.

"Peter, I hope you are safe my love. We will be together someday. I swear." Clarisa said to herself as a few tears began to fall down her face.

* * *

"So, what seems to be the problem?" Andrew asked as he approached the command truck. Kurt, Riela, Imca, Felix, Gusurg, and Gloria were standing around a table with Alfons sitting, manning a radio.

"We received this transmission a few minutes ago. We were just about to respond." Kurt state, then nodded at Alfons who acknowledged and played the message.

"ANYONE OUT THERE?! THIS IS SERGEANT JACK LAWERENCE OF GALLIAN MILITIA'S SEVENTH PLATOON! WE ARE UNDER HEAVY ATTACK BY GERMAN FORCES AND WE REQUIRE IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE! PLEASE RESPOND , OVER!" The voice rang out through the radio. Andrew's ears perked up at the name.

' _Lawerence? That is….!'_ Andrew's eyes went wide. He knows who that is

"Answer the call now." Andrew stated.

"We don't know if it is fake. We should…" Alfons didn't get to finish as Andrew yelled.

"ANSWER HIM BACK NOW! THAT IS THE U.S SECRETARY OF STATE'S SON!" Andrew stated. Kurt, realizing from Andrew's reaction is this person is important, took the radio receiver and responded.

"This is the captain of squad 422 responding to your call. What is your situation, please respond over." Kurt stated calmly.

"WE'RE PINNED DOWN AT A SCRAPYARD RIGHT NEXT TO THE ARDENNES RAIL LINE! THE GERMANS HAVE AMBUSHED US AND WE'RE UNDER SIEGE! IF WE DON'T GET SUPPORT, WE'LL BE OVERRUN!" Kurt looked at Andrew and saw that he was already looking at a map, after a few minutes, he looked at kurt and nodded and mouthed, "Ten minutes."

"Understood. We are near your location and en route. ETA ten minutes." Kurt responded. That answer didn't please the person on the other end.

"WE DON'T HAVE TEN MINUTES! IN TEN MINUTES YOU'LL BE PICKING UP OUR BULLET RIDDLED AND BROKEN BODIES OFF THE BOTTOM OF A CLIFF." Kurt looked at Andrew and nodded.

"OK, PACK UP AND GEAR UP! WE ARE HEADING OUT NOW!" Andrew yelled at the top of his lungs, getting everyone in the Nameless' attention and they began to immediately pack up and get ready.

"LISTEN PAL, WE WON'T LAST TEN MINUTES WITH THE NAZIS SHELLING US WITH THESE MORTARS! IF YOU CAN TAKE OUT THEIR ARTILLERY, YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO KEEP US ALIVE FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES. OTHER THAN THAT, GET YOUR BUTTS OVER HERE AS FAST AS YOU CAN!" Kurt was about to respond when he heard something crack and break and then the line was cut. Kurt gave the receiver back to Alfons and saw that Andrew was already geared up.

"We need to take out those mortars first." Andrew stated.

"I agree," Kurt looked at the map and saw that there was a small clearing about 500 yards away from the scrapyard, "I think the mortars are there."

Andrew looked at the map and nodded, "I suggest taking a small team to take out the mortars. The rest of the squad should focus on head towards the scrapyard."

"You volunteering then?" Kurt asked, in which Andrew nodded.

"I'll take Felix, Annika, Amy, Cedric, Clarisa, Serge and Riela with me. You take the rest of the squad to help that militia platoon. We will meet up with you there." Andrew stated.

"Understood, though make it quick. From what I heard, that platoon really don't have much time left."

* * *

Near the Ardennes Forest rail line, three German mortar teams were raining hell onto the Gallian militia. The mortar teams were using 8cm Granatwefer 34 mortars, the standard mortar for the German army. It fired an 81mm mortar and it is known for its accurate fire as well as its rate of fire. Right now the crews were just firing round after round in quick succession. Apparently, the ground assault against the militia was not making that much progress and their commander, Captain Aada Schnee, was telling them to continue to lay on the rounds. One of the crew members looked through the sight of the mortar, making some corrections, then gave the loaded a thumbs up and the loader loaded the round into the tube and after a second, the round fired, arching through the air to land on to the Gallian militia.

Unknown to the Germans, however they were being watched. Looking through a scope of a captured Kar98K, Serge was surveying the area.

"I count about 20 soldiers, 9 of them operating the mortars, two machine gun nests and the rest look like ordinary soldiers. Not many automatic weapons, a few have MP40s but other than that, they only have rifles and the MGs." Serge told Andrew, who was next to him.

"Ok, I am going to give you each of you targets. Wait for my command to fire. I want you to hit the NCO over there." Andrew said, pointing to the NCO who was standing near the mortars, his submachine gun slung over his shoulder. Andrew then moved to each member of the Nameless and pointed out who they should shoot. He made his way to Clarissa and knelt beside her.

"I want you to aim for that guy over there." Andrew pointed to the gunner of the second machine gun. Clarissa nodded and Andrew noticed her nervousness.

"Is there something you need to tell me?" Andrew asked.

"N-No. I am good." Clarissa stated. Andrew raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure? From the looks of things, it seems like you are hesitant?" Andrew asked.

"I am fine." Clarissa stated firmly. Andrew looked at her firmly for a few minutes but relented.

"Ok, wait for my shot before you make the shot." Andrew stated and moved towards a more advantageous position. He unshouldered his Cei-Riggoti rifle and looked down the sight. He aimed his rifle at one of the machine gunners. He made sure the sights were lined up on the soldiers head and then taking a deep breath, he squeezed the trigger. The bullet exited the barrel of the rifle and it took it only a few seconds before it connected with the man's neck, going through it. The soldier collapsed clenching his throat. The rest of the squad fired, taking out most of the machine gun team. The Germans, surprised by the sudden attack, stopped firing the mortars and readied their weapons. However, they were slow to react as Felix, Annika, and Cedric charged out of the forest, spraying bullets out as if its going out of style. Felix and Annika had Mag M4 submachine guns while Cedric had equipped himself with one of the captured MG42s. They were able to kill a few more German soldiers before taking cover as the Germans began to fight back.

One of the Germans ran to the idle MG42 and turned it against the attacking forces but was suddenly shot in the head.

" _Scharfschütze!"_ One of the German soldiers yelled before getting hit in the head himself. Serge pulled the bolt to eject the round and pushed it back in to chamber a round. Andrew rushed to Serge and said in his ear, "Move position. They most likely know your position right now."

"Roger." Serge replied as he got up and began moving. Andrew then charged down towards the rest of the group and got into cover next to Cedric as he continued to fire the MG. Andrew then noticed the barrel getting red.

"Give me that!" Andrew yelled as he forced Cedric to stop shooting and took the MG42 away from Cedric and gave him his rifle.

"What was that for?" Cedric asked.

"You are almost burned the barrel off. I need to change it. Use the rifle for now." Andrew ordered. Cedric grunted but used the rifle and began shooting. Andrew reached into Cedric's pack and then pulled out an extra barrel. Andrew pulled out the metal cover to the barrel and then pulled out the hot barrel, he then inserted the new barrel and snapped back the cover.

"You're good." Andrew stated, handing the mG42 back to Cedric, who handed him back his rifle as well. Andrew then saw a few Germans using some sandbags as cover so he took out a grenade, pulled the pin and threw it.

"GRENADE!" Andrew yelled as the grenade flew through the air and landed in between a couple of Germans and exploded, killing the Germans. The surviving Germans tried to escape but two were shot by Serge and the rest were shot at by Cedric and Felix. A wounded soldier was crawling away and Clarissa aimed her Viper at him but hesitated as she saw Peter's image in her head. Her trigger finger began to shake as the wounded soldier turned to reveal he wasn't Peter and pulled out a pistol and aimed it at Clarissa. Clarissa felt someone push her to the ground and heard a gunshot. She looked to see Andrew standing over her, his pistol smoking.

Andrew holstered his pistol and then looked over to Clarissa, helped her up, and asked, "Why did you hesitate?"

"I-I…" Clarissa stuttered but before she could answer, Felix called out.

"Andrew, Kurt is on the line. He says they are close to the railyard. He wants us to meet up with them."

"Got it. Everyone, pack it up. We got to move." Andrew ordered. As everyone got ready, he turned back to Clarissa.

"We will talk about this later." Andrew stated firmly. Clarissa noted and after a few minutes of rounding up extra ammo as well as assorted items, went to link up with Kurt and the others.

* * *

Kurt looked through his binoculars as he surveyed the battle at the railway. The militia was originally hold up inside a building and the Germans were advancing up on them as the moratrs were taken out then out of nowhere they left their positions and charged the attacking Germans.

"They must be really brave or really stupid to charge out like that." Alfons commented.

"Can' really blame them though. I mean, they were surrounded, why not just bring the fight to the enemy." Gloria replied, taking a smoke from her pipe.

"I have to give it to them. At least the militia has more balls than than the regular army that's for sure." Cedric noted. Before anyone can say anything, they heard some movement behind them, they turned weapons drawn until they saw the familiar red/white hair of Riela's followed by the rest of the squad.

Andrew approached next to Kurt and reported, "Mortars are taken out."

"Good, just in time because we need to help them soon or else they are going to be in real trouble." Kurt said showing Andrew the situation. Andrew surveyed it and shook his head.

"Honestly, they should have stayed in the building. With the mortars out of commission, they had a better chance."

"I agree but we don't know the situation clearly. Anyway, get ready. Take half the squad to the other side of the woods. Once I blow the whistle, we attack from both nd that should cause enough confusion for them to either choose to fall back or die." Kurt said, handing Andrew his Thompson. Andrew took it, cocked it flipped it from safety.

"Got it. Time to save the militia." Andrew said. Kurt then pulled out a whistle and looked left and right to confirm if everyone was ready. Once he got confirmation that everyone was ready, he took a deep breath and blew on the whistle. Normally, anyone would have heard the whistle but due to the amount of gunfire echoing the battle, no one paid any mind of it.

Kurt made the first shot of the battle and fired at a German soldier who was about to stab a Gallian militia men. The soldier was wounded but the Gallian was able to finish him off by shooting him with his pistol. The Nameless bgan to exit the forest and attack the Germans on both sides and now the tables have turned as the Germans were now outnumbered.

* * *

On the other side of the railyard, Andrew and the same group he had with him when they attacked the mortars were now in the mix with the militia as they all began fighting either with their guns or their fists.

Cedric used the buttstock of the MG42 and knocked out the soldier and then pulling out a knife and stabbing him in the head and twisted it, killing the soldier and replied, These guys are nothing."

"Don't be overconfident. Just focus on killing them, we can talk about their fighting spirit later." Andrew stated as he reloaded his Thompson and continued shooting. The Germans, seeing that there is no road to victory, began to retreat. The Nameless began to pursue and firing on the retreating Germans. Andrew was aiming at one retreat German when he noticed that Clarissa was not firing her weapon or rather she was fring her weapon but was missing.

' _Why is she missing? Unless….'_ His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed that an enemy soldier was approaching her and it was not just any soldier. This soldier, in addition to the standard helmet and uniform, had reinforced, steel chest plate to cover the front of his torso and additional armor covering the shoulders, shins, and a faceplate that covered the whole face other than the eyes. The design of the armor was similar to the that worn in the Roman days and had in one hand a large bulletproof shield while in the other hand had a C96 pistol that had a buttstock for long-range shooting. This was a Legionnaire, an Italian that was fighting with the wehrmacht thanks to Italian dictator, Mussolini.

And now this soldier was sneaking up on Clarissa. Andrew did not think twice as he got up and began firing at the Legionnaire. This alerted Clarissa to the impending treat and she got ou of the way just as the Legionnaire had to adjust his attack to address the new attack. He brought out his shield and began to advance at Andrew as he emptied his Thompson into the Legionnaire. However, the bullets were doing nothing as the shield absorbed the bullets but Andrew's main task was to make sure that he was no aiming at Clarissa. Once Andrew's Thompson ran out of ammo, the Legionnaire rushed towards Andrew and used his shield as a battering ram and rammed into Andrew pushing him down. The Legionnaire pointed his C96 at Andrew but when he pulled the trigger, the weapon clipped empty. Andrew took this opportunity and tackled the Legionnaire, knocking the man's helmet off. Andrew pinned the Legionnaire to the ground and then pried the faceplate off. He then began to punch the man to death but suddenly he felt something that felt as if he was hit with a baseball bat in his right arm. He looked and saw that a bullet hit him and looked to see a German with a Kar98K and was working the bolt to fire another round but then was shot multiple times, most likely by a machine gun. The legionnaire then turned the tables and pushed Andrew to the ground and began to choke him. Andrew tried to punch the man awa but due to the heavy armor that the Legionnaire had, it was only hurting Andrew's hands instead. Soon Andrew was losing vision as the air was being squeezed out of him. Then suddenly, the Legionnaire's head suddenly exploded, with blood and brain matter hitting Andrew's face. He Legionnaire's body fell on top of Andrew, and he pushed it off with his left arm. He sat up to see Clarissa kneeling a few feet from him, her Viper carbine's barrel smoking from the recent shot and her hands were shaking.

Andrew got up and clenching his right arm walked over to Clarissa and lowered her carbine and said, "Thanks Clarissa. You saved my ass." Andrew then noticed Clarissa was shaking and looked like she was somewhere else. Andrew was about to say something until Kurt's voice called out to them.

"Twenty-Eight, are you ok?" Kurt asked. He approached them and seeing Andrew's wound, began to worry about his second in command.

"It's nothing too serious. I had suffered worse in Alaska," Andrew stated. Kurt noted then looked over to Clarissa.

"Forty-Six?" Kurt asked. Clarissa snapped out of her daze and looked up to Kurt.

"Y-Yes?" Clarissa replied.

"Tend to Twenty-Eight. I am going to go meet with whoever is in charge and see if we can get a ride on the train with them." Kurt stated.

"Take Thirteen with you. Tell them she is your second-in-command if they ask. Since I am fucked up, she will take my place until I get patched up." Andrew suggested. Kurt nodded in agreement.

"I was able to make contact with Six. He and Rodriguez will take the tank and APC to the fort and meet us there." Kurt stated. Andrew nodded and Kurt left to meet up with the person in charge of the militia defenses.

"Well, I guess I am in your care then," Andrew told Clarissa.

"Yeah, the wound doesn't look that bad so it should heal up soon," Clarissa stated, looking over the wound.

"I agree, and while you are tending me, you can also finish that story. Though I think I know what the end result is right?" Andrew asked. Clarissa as quiet for a minute, applying a bandage over the wound and then replied.

"Yes, you may be right. I was sent to the Nameless because I helped the man I love escape from Gallian forces."

 **I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. If you have any questions, feel free to DM me. See you all soon.**


	23. Ch021: Fort Drakon and meeting new faces

**This work is written for entertainment purposes. All characters belong to their respective owners.**

Chapter 21: Fort Drakon and meeting new faces

The train was moving behind schedule as it left the railyard. Once the militia and the Nameless were able to clear the train with any debris, which was a destroyed light tank and a couple of destroyed AA guns, the train was able to pick up speed as it did its best to reach the fort. Since there was not enough room in the passenger cart, the Nameless was riding on top of the train on there way to the last remaining fort in the South.

Though that was not what many of the Nameless thought.

"Why are we on top of this train while the regulars and militia can relax in the passenger car?" Felix asked as he took a drink from a canteen.

"They said that there wasn't enough room for all of us," Giulio stated, his back on the train as he tried to get some sleep.

"That is bullshit and you know it. They just don't like the idea of criminals riding with them," Cedric noted.

"In your case, you are a criminal," Alfons stated. Cedric laughed at that.

"I wouldn't want to do anything to those uptight idiots. I don't want the face the firing squad," Cedric replied.

"Well, whatever the reason, I am just happy we are getting a ride on the train than making the ride in the APC," Three stated as she took a smoke from her pipe.

"Gloria, you should stop smoking. That isn't good for you health," Annika stated.

"Annika, don't you worry about me. You should focus on your own health," Gloria replied.

"By the way, has anyone seen Andrew and Clarissa?" Amy asked the group. They all knew that Kurt and Riela were in one of the two remaining passenger carts with the officers from the militia squad but they haven't seen Andrew and Clarissa on the top of the train.

"She and Andrew are in the second passenger cart. He suffered a wound during the fighting at the railyard and Clarissa stated that he needs to ride in the cart so that she can treat him," Valerie stated.

"How bad is the wound?" Amy asked.

"It's nothing serious. The bullet went through his arm so nothing is lodged in his arm. He should be ok," Valerie replied.

* * *

Clarissa was wrapping a bandage around Andrew's arm and tied it tightly to make sure that the wound doesn't start bleeding again. She had patched up the wound and making sure that Andrew would be ready to fight in the next battle. Throughout the whole treatment, the two remained silent. After the revelation that Clarissa helped her lover, a German soldier, escape captivity, she didn't know what to say as well as Andrew who was conflicted by this information. He was always told that Germanian soldiers were evil and that they had no sense of honor in regards to treating civilians and Darcsens, but if Clarissa can fall in love with one of these soldiers, then perhaps not all of them are bad.

"There that should do it," Clarissa said as she finished up wrapping the bandage.

"Thanks," Andrew said, looking at his arm and only feeling a little bit of the pain from before. Clarissa nodded and began putting her materials away.

"So, you going to tell me how you helped him escape?" Andrew asked. Clarissa was silent for awhile and Andrew was afraid that she wouldn't respond until finally she spoke up.

"It was about a week before I got transferred to the Nameless. I was working on some paperwork when I overheard Damon discussing Peter," Clarissa stated.

"What was that big idiot suggesting?" Andrew asked. He remembered meeting Damon and the meeting didn't really impress him. Clarissa took a deep breath and responded.

"He wanted to execute him."

* * *

Clarissa sighed as she finished up writing her daily report, which usually was mainly about how Peter was feeling for the day. As the weeks went by, Clarissa was slowly falling in love with the German soldier. It started out as just small talk but soon it developed in them talking about anything for hours on end and not caring for the time until the head nurse would com in and tell Clarissa that it was night. Clarissa smiled as she remembered where in their last conversation, Peter had stated that he really didn't want to be a soldier but instead he wanted to be a doctor in the future but with the requirement of two years of service in Germania, he was required to serve. Clarissa praised him for his dream and he responded with, "But now, I can't really see myself in that dream without you."

Clarissa blushed at the memory and then looked at the clock and saw that it was 7PM.

"Oh, i have to submit this before the head doctor leaves," Clarissa said as she picked up the report and made her way to the head doctor's office. As she reached the head doctor's office, she noticed a pair of soldiers outside the office and she can hear yelling on the other side of the door. As she approached the office, one of the soldier's asked her, "I.D please ma'am."

Clarissa showed them her I.D and once he approved, he opened the door to the office. Clarissa walked in to see the secretary of the head doctor at her desk. She looked up and gave Clarissa a small smile.

"Sorry Clarissa, the head doctor is a bit busy. Just take a seat, and the head doctor will be right with you," the secretary stated. Clarissa took a seat and while she waited she can hear the conversation from the head doctor's office.

"I am telling you, you are to not touch any of my patients! Even if he is the enemy, we follow the Geneva Conventions in regards of treating prisoners!" the head doctor stated loudly.

"He is an enemy of our country and even after all he interrogations, he hasn't told us anything useful. So why should we still treat him?" Damon demand.

"BECAUSE HE IS A PRISONER OF WAR!" The head doctor stated.

"He will be executed tomorrow and there is nothing you can do. All I am here to tell you is to expect it and if you even think of getting in our way then you will be considered a tratior and will be executed," Damon stated. All the while, Clarissa was paling and was shaking.

"Clarissa are you ok?" the secretary asked.

"Y-Yeah, I am just tired. Can you please give this to the head doctor? I need some rest," Clarissa asked. The secretary nodded and Clarissa handed her the report and stormed out of the office. All the while, she began to sweat. They were going to kill Peter, the man she had fallen in love with. Just imagining him dead, slumped against the wall along with the sight of him blindfolded, not even seeing her one more time before dying, caused Clarissa to snap. She began to make a beeline to Peter's room. Once she reached his room and showing her I.D to the guards outside, she entered the room to see Peter already sleeping.

Clarissa rushed to his side and began to shake him awake, "Peter! Peter, wake up!"

Peter stirred a bit before sitting up and rubbing his eyes, replying, "Clarissa, what is it?" Clarissa smiled a bit, proud that all the English lessons she taught Peter had improved his vocabulary but shook her head and focused on why she was here for.

"Peter, you need to get changed. You need to leave now," Clarissa said as she helped Peter up and then walked over to the closet next to his bed and found his clothes. She took them and then helped Peter dress up.

"While I do love to take you on that date we talked about, isn't this the wrong time?" Peter asked, still confused. Clarisa finished buttoning the buttons on his field blouse before gripping his chest and leaning in. Peter began to worry and hugged her tight.

"Clarissa, what's wrong? You can tell me," Peter whispered into her ear. Tears began to fall from her face as she let go and looked him in the eye.

"They want to kill you. I overheard General Damon say that since you didn't provide them with information that it isn't worth the time to keep you here," Clarissa responded.

"I see…. And you are trying to help me escape," Peter concluded, to which Clarissa nodded.

"You can escape from the window. Here," Clarissa said, walking over to the window and opening it. She then walked over to his bed and took his sheets along with some extra blankets. Peter then realized what she was doing and walked over to help her. After a few minutes, they were able to create a makeshift rope. Clarissa began to tie the rope around Peter's waist so that she can help lower him down. As she finished, Peter noticed that she was quiet and didn't want to look him in the eye. He brought up his left hand and forced Clarissa to look at him and then kissed her. They kissed for a few seconds before the both of them heard footsteps.

"Quick, they're coming," Clairissa urged. Peter nodded and then got out the window and got into position to rappel down.

As he got ready he asked, "What about you? They are surely going to kill you for helping me."

"Don't worry, I won't die now. Not until we I am by your side when we are old. We will see each other after this my love," Clarissa assured. Peter saw the sad look in her eyes, something he has seen since he first met her. He tried to say something but then the door opened and in walked in Damon and a couple of Gallian regular army soldiers along with the head doctor.

Damon saw what was happening and his face became red in rage and shouted, "What is the meaning of this?!"

"PETER, GO!" Clarissa shouted as she pushed Peter out the window. Peter, being the combat veteran that he is, began to vault down the building. He reached the ground just as a pair of Gallin soldiers peeked out the window and aimed their submachine guns at him. He began t run just as the bullets hit where he was previously standing. He ran in between a couple of trucks and then turned and ran down an alley between two buildings.

"Damnit! Head down there, find him and kill him!" Damon ordered the two soldiers. They ran out the room to pursue Peter and Damon turned his attention towards Clarissa, who was being held by two other Gallian soldiers.

"Now explain to me, why did you help that enemy soldier to escape?!" Damon asked, raising his voice near the end.

"You were going to kil him! That would violate the Geneva Convention and make Gallia guilty of war crimes!" Clarissa stated firmly.

"I don't think that is the only reason. Even if we killed him, I would have made it so that there would have been no evidence," Damon then looked into the eyes and saw something, " Unless, you perhaps are in love with that enemy soldier?"

Clarissa looked away from Damon, not wanting to give him anything but that one action alone told Damon everything.

"So you do love him? Well, in that case," Damon smiled evilly, "There is a special place for traitors like you and believe me, you won't survive this war to see him again as long as you are in this unit."

* * *

Present Day

"I was placed in the stockade for a week until the official orders for my transfer to the Nameless were given to me," Clarissa said, finishing her story. There was silence between the two as Andrew took in the story. Throughout his career, he was always told that all Nazis were the bad guys, men an women that hated Darcsens and wanted to take over the world. He has heard of the horror stories out of the Nazi empire and even fought against their military and have seen the brutality of what that nation can do. And yet here was a person, a person who Andrew has seen has compassion and respects human life, fall in love with a man from a nation that does the opposite of what she believes.

"You must hate me now," Clarissa asked sadly, "I know that you view the Nazis as murderers and the bad guys but… Peter is different."

"Look, I can't judge you based on who you choose to love, but I will say this: You are the only one in charge of your heart. We all have choices in our lives and when we make them, we can't regret it or else it will eat us from the inside. From what I see in your eyes, there is something that you regret from helping him escape. You need to look into that how you handle that will really affect my opinion. Until then, I will hold from commenting," Andrew said. Before Clarissa could reply, the train suddenly lurched as the train suddenly came to a stop causing some commotion from the lead train cart.

"Well, looks like we are here then," Andrew said, getting up and stretching. He then looked at Clarissa who was still sitting and offered a hand.

"C'mon, judging from the sudden stop, I guess we have finally arrived," Andrew stated.

* * *

'Fort Drakon. One of the last heavily fortified strongholds in the south that Gallia had somehow managed to hold. It was the only thing holding the line in the south from the Germans while the Krauts had made the Ardennes their own little fortress. Fort Drakon also had something that surprised me when we arrived, the International Volunteer Battalion. Apparently, the Nazi threat was big enough to convince many nations to send some of their troops to Gallia to help the Gallians. Well, that was the official report that is. The real reason was to test the combat capabilities of the German military so that their own armies can be ready to fight them. And to no surprise, well to me at least, the United States happened to send their own detachment.' -Andrew W. Vandegrfit.

Kurt looked around Fort Drakon and, along with the Nameless, was surprised to so many soldiers from different nations in Fort Drakon. Soldiers from France, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States were out and about doing their daily tasks. What also surprised the Nameless were the diversity in many of the armies. There were Gurkhas from the territory of Nepal from the British Army, colonial troops from French Algeria and Indochina, and even colonial troops from the United States ranging from Canadians to Samoans to eve Australians.

"Wow, there are so many troops from other nations here," Amy noted as a couple of Australians walked by conversing with some Samoans, laughing at a joke.

"Yeah, I am also impressed with the diversity of uniforms from all the other nations," Valerie stated, adjusting her glasses. Sure enough, each nation had a different uniform than the other and in all sense and purposes more practical than the standard Gallian uniform. The Gallians' uniform was mainly blue with red stripes and white linings here and there and placed against a more green and brown environment of the Ardennes, it is not suited for camouflage and makes them easy to spot. Meanwhile, the troops from other nations have adopted their uniforms based on experiences learned from the Great War. The French were an example in that they started the Great War wearing dark blue overcoats along with bright red trousers and caps. Now they wear a more dark brown uniform to make them slightly harder to spot. They also retained the Adrian helmet from the Great War as a way from distinguishing themselves from their allies.

"Well, almost every nation in the world recognize the need to have their uniforms offer some sort of camouflage while you guys decided on colors that make you all stand out like sore thumbs," Andrew noted as he looked at their uniforms, which were mainly black.

"It's more out of pride than anything to be honest. Many royals want to project the military as a prestigious military force, ignoring the practical aspects as simple as a different uniform color," Valerie stated.

"And that is a reason it needs to change, or else our country won't last long," Kurt said as he and Riela walked up towards the group.

"Ah, our leader has returned. How were the officers from that militia squad?" Andrew asked.

"Well, let's just say that they were….. Interesting," Kurt noted while Riela laughed.

"But they were entertaining, especially that one guy who got tackled by those two women in the back," Riela stated. Kurt nodded and chuckled.

"Then again I can't really say that since we are interesting as well," Kurt said.

"Damn right we are," Cedric noted.

"You all sure are rowdy now," A voice called out. The group turned to see Gusurg and Carisa walking up to them.

"Ah, there you are and the stingy woman is with you. When did you guys get here?" Andrew asked, earning him a glare from Carisa.

"We arrived thirty minutes ago. We were getting the vehicles secured when we heard that you guys arrived," Gusurg stated.

"Also, Gusurg wanted to talk with a few of the American soldiers here. Apparently, America allows Darcsens to enlist into the regular military," Carisa added. Gusurg rubbed his back nervously.

"Well, it's pretty rare to see many Darcsens in the a regular army and to have the respect of his or her peers. It looks like a dream," Gusurg noted.

"Just move to America and you would see Darcsens have much more freedom than here in Gallia or in the world for that matter," Andrew stated. Before anyone else can say anything a voice called out.

"Is there a No.7 here?" The group looked on to see a plain clothed man standing before them, which is a bit odd given how this being a military fort that there are not that many civilians that are allowed on military bases, least one filled with foreigners.

"Yes, that's me. Who are you?" Kurt asked, stepping up.

"Colonel Crowe would like to see you," The man said, pulling out of his pocket to reveal the Nameless patch, showing him to be part of the intelligence division under Crowe.

"Alright," Kurt then turned to Andrew, "Twenty-Eight, you are in charge while I am gone."

"Got it boss," Andrew replied, giving him a thumbs up. Kurt nodded and walked with the plain clothed man as Andrew turned towards the squad.

"Ok, guys. Let's find some bunks for the night and-" Andrew said but was interrupted by another voice.

"Hey, is there an American in this unit?" A voice asked. The squad turned to see a man wearing a unique uniform that the Gallians have never seen. The man was covered head to toe in camo clothing from his trousers to his jacket to even his helmet had a camouflage cover. He had over his shoulder a M1A1 carbine, the paratrooper version to the M1 carbine. He also had a Kabar knife on his belt along with a bayonet holstered on his boot. But what identified him to the group, specifically Andrew, was the patch on his shoulder which was a white parachute over a red diamond which was over a blue shield with five stars surrounding the diamond. The man was from the 1st Marine Parachute Regiment of the United States Marine Corp, a Paramarine.

"Who's asking?" Andrew asked, suspiciously. He didn't want to identify himself yet, but if it is what he think it is….

"I would need to identify you first sir," The marine stated. Andrew nodded for the man to continue.

"Which marine regiments were involved in the Juneau battle?" The marine asked.

"The 1st, 5th, and the 7th," Andrew replied.

"When was the landing of Kiska Island?"

"May 10th, 1932."

"What happened during Operation Crimson Wings?" Andrew's eyes bulged at the mention of the operation and he saw memories of that operation in his head: the gunfire, explosions, the fires, his squad screaming at him to leave and a marine's hand reaching for him, his face begging him to save him.

"Fuck you!" Andrew yelled, surprising the Nameless. The marine grimaced but continued.

"Ok, you are him. I'm sorry sir but we had to ask to confirm. The colonel wants to see you sir. It's urgent," the marine stated.

"Who?" Andrew asked.

"It's best if you just see for yourself sir," The marine insisted. Andrew sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ok, Six guess you are in charge. Make sure everyone gets a bunk and a hot meal. Until Seven and I return, everyone can do whatever as long as no one gets in trouble," Andrew told Gusurg.

"Got it," Gusurg replied. Andrew then followed the Marine towards the main building.

"Ok, so first things first," Gusurg started but looked and saw that most of the squad were already headed towards what he assumed was the mess hall.

"Well, I can't blame them for getting food first," Gusurg said sighing. He then noticed Riela, Imca, Amy and Guilio was still here.

"Um, we can help you get everything in order Gusurg," Amy offered, causing Gusurg to smile and chuckle.

"Ok, first let's head back to the tank and trucks and get anything that we need. Looks like we might be here for awhile."

* * *

Kurt followed the intelligence officer through the main building, passing by a few soldiers from France, Great Britain, and America until they reached a door. The man opened the door and kurt walked in to see that Crowe was sitting in a chair, leaning back with a glass of whiskey on ice in his hand.

"Ah, our star CO has arrived. Have you gotten used to the squad yet?" Crowe asked Kurt as he walked in and stood at ease in front of Crowe's desk.

"The squad is still rough on the edges but we are slowly getting along together. We just recently helped a militia squad at a railyard," Kurt stated.

"I heard. It was the 7th Militia squad that took Vasel. Must have been an honor huh?" Crowe asked.

"While I do admit it was nice to meet them, their CO is a bit…. Unique," Kurt said, choosing his words carefully. Crowe chuckled.

"It may that case if they were able to take out an entire battalion of Germans as the report says. But that is not why I called you here. You will be getting some more new members for the squad," Crowe stated, causing Kurt to raise his eyebrows.

"We got more reports that say that the Krauts are reinforcing the lab as well as the American commander here needs your help with something. Apparently, a kraut unit has been giving the Americans a hard time so once they heard you were coming they requested your help," Crowe answered.

"Understood. Once we help them, then we will head towards the lab," Kurt summed up.

"Good. Now to meet one of your new squad members. You can come in now," Crowe called out. The office door opened and in walked a woman with dark blue hair and blue eyes, signaling that she was a Darcsen. Her hair is tied in a ponytail and wears a Darcsens Bandana covered by an eight point cap. She is wearing a black jacket and slim, dark jeans with military boots. On her left sleeve she wears a red and white armband with what Kurt recognizes from his studies at Lanseal, the Polish Home Army insignia. Over her chest she carries a bandoleer with extra ammo. And on her belt she carries some stick grenades, a revolver that looks like an old M1879 Reichsrevolver and wears a satchel that appears to have tools in them. She also has an Infantry cutlass on her hip.

"This here is Karolina, Number 66. She will be assisting you and the squad in unconventional, guerrilla, and experimental warfare," Crowe stated.

"With respect sir, we already have someone who is experienced in unconventional warfare. Is it really necessary to have one more person?" Kurt asked, curious as to the need of another person with experience in unconventional warfare. Crowe decided to take a sip from his whiskey as Karolina scoffed and then approached Kurt and got face to face with him.

"Listen here kid, tell me how many years does your member have in guerrilla warfare, in fighting the Germans and knowing their tactics?" Karolina asked Kurt. Kurt glared at Karolina as she got into his personal space.

"A couple of years experience fighting the Russians and the Germans," Kurt answered earning him a shake of the head from Karolina.

"Then he is just a kid. Listen here, I have been fighting the Germans since the Troubles. I continued to fight them even when the Troubles ended with a German victory. You and your squad barely have enough years of experience fighting against the Germans combined compared to my years alone. So, in essence you need me and next time, think about what the other person went through before you question whether you need them or not kid," Karolina stated before brushing past him and leaving the room. Kurt looked over to Crowe and raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, she is a bit of a handful. But I believe you can handle it. She isn't the only new member too. There are a few more. Good luck," Crowe said, waving his hand at Kurt, signalling him that he can leave.

* * *

The paramarine stopped in front of a door and faced Andrew, "Go right ahead sir. He is waiting for you." Andrew raised an eyebrow at that and then noticed the two marine guards outside the door. Unlike the paramarine, these marines were dressed in the standard forest green jacket and trousers and each marine was armed with M1 Garands.

"Ok, here we go then," Andrew said as he opened the door. He walked in to see a back facing him, looking over a file. The man turned around to show an aged face with a pipe in his mouth. Andrew recognized him immediately and stood at attention.

"Lt. Col Puller sir!" Andrew stated firmly, causing Puller to chuckle.

"As you were son," Puller said, waving him down, "Take a seat son. We have a lot to discuss."

"Thank you sir," Andrew said as he took a set. Puller pulled out a couple of glasses and then began to pull out a bottle of whiskey from his desk. He poured two glasses and handed Andrew one.

"Thank you," Andrew said as he took the glass and took a swig of alcohol, along with Puller.

"Ah, how I missed whiskey," Andrew sighed. Puller chuckled.

"How have you been son?" Puller asked.

"Things…. Could be a bit better. I spent a year in Europe fighting as a mercenary then I ended up here sir when the fighting started. Though, I am a bit relieved to see you here sir," Andrew said.

"Is the situation that bad?"

"From what I have seen sir, its worse. 70% of the country is under Nazi control. We have nobles making stupid military calls, resulting in heavy casualties. Hell, their own equipment is not even on par with the Krauts," Andrew complained.

"I see," Puller tooka drink from his glass and sat down in his chair, "Well, since you are here, I might as well brief you. We have been here with the Army's Devil's Brigade as an independent unit. We only have one company of Paramarines from the 1st Marine Parachute Battalion and a company of Marine Raiders here. So far, we have been mainly helping the Gallians hold the southern part of the country and unlike the Gallian army in the north, here they are more competent and wise in their attacks from what I have seen," Puller stated.

"Yeah, but their flaw is still relying on nobles in being commissioned officers while ignoring your NCOs who probably have more experience and better judgement than the nobles, let alone their uniform makes them stick out like a sore thumb," Andrew replied.

"True, but this does give us one thing. Officially we are here to help the Gallians fight these bastards. Unofficially, this is perfect for us to test our own military capabilities against the Nazis," Puller stated, causing Andrew to raise an eyebrow.

"Never knew we were in the business of using our allies' country as testing fields sir," Andrew said bluntly.

"It's not the most ideal thing to do but as of now the United States really isn't in a position to declare full fledged war against the Krauts. We are still licking our wounds from Russia so for now, this will do," Puller said. Andrew gave it some thought. Ideally, this is the right choice since it gives the U.S some combat experience against the krauts but still….

"Well, as long as we hold the krauts at bay, that is good enough with me but I doubt that is all you want to tell me," Andrew replied. Puller sighed and looked Andrew in the eye.

"Your father and I were on the committee that ordered your court martial Andrew," Andrew tensed at this and gritted his teeth, "Know that your father and I fought for you to stay. However, the fallout from Operation Crimson Wings was too much. The public needed a scapegoat for the fallout…." Andrew put up a hand to stop the colonel.

"If you are here to remind me how my own father threw me to the wolves, then I am leaving," Andrew stated firmly.

"Your father loves you Andrew. When this conflict started, your father asked me to try and find you and it was only from a photo from a Gallian journalist to allow us to find you. But I am not here to remind you of the past, I actually have a gift for you," Puller pulled a drawer out and pulled out a small box and some paperwork, he got up his desk and walked around it to give Andrew the box and paperwork. Andrew took it and opened the small box to reveal a pair of silver bars, causing Andrew's eyes to widen.

"As of April 21, 1935, Andrew Walker Vandegrift is hereby reinstated as a First Lieutenant of the United States Marine Corp, by order of the Commandant of the Marine Corp Lieutenant General Holocomb and supported by Major General Alexander Vandegrift," Puller stated.

"My dad…." Andrew muttered.

"That is not all. Two more marines will be assigned to the Nameless along with you as backup," Puller stated."

"What marines?" Puller then walked over to the office door and said, "You both and come in now." Puller stepped aside for two marines to walk in. Both of them wore the same black standard uniform of the Nameless, similar to Andrew but when Andrew looked at their faces, he froze. One of them had brown hair with green eyes and looked to be the age of 22 while the other had a young face, most likely 18 with blond hair and blue eyes and was beaming. Both men saluted but before they can say anything Andrew forcefully got out of his seat.

"NO! Absolutely not!" Andrew yelled. Puller sighed.

"I had a feeling this would happen," He said as both marines recoiled a bit but recovered.

"Well, nice to see you too Andrew," The older marine replied. Andrew glared at him.

"Don't you 'nice to see you too Andrew' me. What the fuck are you both doing here?" Andrew asked.

"If you are wondering, dad approved of this," The younger marine stated, causing Andrew to groan.

"Great, not only will I have to deal with the krauts, now I have to worry about my two little brothers being in the same unit as mine," Andrew stated.

'James Vandegrift and Nicholas Vandegrift, my little brothers with Nick being the youngest. I have no idea as to why my dad would even let my brothers even think about joining the Nameless or hell why they even volunteered for this but with them in the unit, my job got a bit harder and that time, I had no idea at that time that my brothers being in the same unit will cause me a lot of pain in the future." Andrew w. Vandegrift.

"Sergeant Vandegrift and PFC Vandegrift will be under your direct command. We have already reached out to Lt. Col. Crowe and he approves. There is a mission briefing for the Nameless at 1800 hours today. Until then, you are allowed to do whatever. All of you are dismissed," Puller said. The three marines saluted Puller and exited the office.

"Sooooo, it's good to see you bro," Nicholas said, smiling. Andrew sighed and smiled and ruffed his little brother's hair.

"Yeah, missed you too squirt. So, please tell me you guys have some combat experience," Andrew said as he motioned them to follow him.

"Only a couple of skirmishes. One was against a scouting party and the other against some Waffen SS units," James replied.

"Ok, so you at least have some combat experience. By the way, does this place have an armory?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah, it's over by the range that way," Nicholas said, point towards a building next to a firing range.

"Ok, I have some business to attend to so for now just go look for some of the other members of the squad and try not to get into trouble," Andrew said walking towards the armory.

"C'mon, we never get into trouble," James called out to Andrew.

"Summer, 1928, at the summer home in Virginia," Andrew replied, causing both siblings to stiffen and shutter.

"You had to say we don't get into trouble did you?" Nicholas moaned.

"Hey, I can't help it. Anyway, let's see if we can find some of our new squad members," James said as he led Nicholas to the base's bar.

Andrew walked up to the building and upon entering it, saw that it was truly an armory with numerous guns and box upon box of ammunitions all around the room. He saw someone writing on a clipboard and approached the man.

"Excuse me, you in charge here?" Andrew asked. The man turned around to reveal himself to be an American soldier.

"Indeed I am, what can I do for you?" The soldier asked, his New Orleans accent apparent to Andrew.

"Well, two things. I need a M1 Carbine for one of my medics and I need a new weapon for myself. You happen to have any BARs around?" Andrew asked. The quartermaster thought about it and replied with a smile.

"We only have M1A1 carbines around but for you, I have something better than a BAR," He walks away from Andrew for a bit and comes back with a weapon Andrew has not seen before. The rifle had a similar look to the M1 Garand but the only wood on the rifle was the stock. The barrel and the main receiver were metal with what looked like some sort of railings on the side and top of the rifle. Below the barrel was a a grenade launcher which caught Andrew's attention.

"This here's the latest bit of weaponry for the US of A. The M5A2 Folsom Carbine. Our answer to the Nazi Stg 44. In my opinion it's better than the kraut's little assault rifle. It's magazine hold fifty .30-06 caliber bullets and has a 40 millimeter underbarrel grenade launcher attachment. It's accurate, reliable, and this bad boy makes any Nazi gun look like a toy," the Quartermaster said, handing the rifle to Andrew. Andrew took it and pulled the bolt back, noting the smooth action of the said carbine.

"It's a bit heavy for a carbine don't you think?" Andrew asked, comparing in his head the weight difference between the M1 carbine and this carbine.

"The barrel is shorter than the Garand and its more compact. If you ask me, I think it fights more in the assault rifle category," The quartermaster replied.

"Well, in that case I guess I will take it. You know where there is a range where I can give this the run through," Andrew asked.

"Yeah, it's to the left after you exit the door. Walk a bit before taking a right and you should arrive there," The quartermaster said.

"Thanks buddy," Andrew said, taking the Folsom and M1A1 with him, along with some ammo and headed towards the firing range. Following the quartermaster's instructions, Andrew finally reached the firing range to see a sizeable group of soldiers consisting of French, British American, and some Colonial soldiers all looking at someone. Andrew, curious walked up to the group to see what's going on.

"Pardon me boys, but what are y'all looking at?" Andrew asked. One of the American soldiers looked over to Andrew and responded.

"These guys over here say that he can't those targets without missing any one of them. We are here to show them they are wrong," The soldier pointing at the French and British.

"There is no bloody way he can hit those targets without at least missing one of them. It's just impossible," One of the British soldiers responded. Andrew looked over to see a soldier dressed as a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division patch on and took up position next at the firing range, 14 targets arrayed before him. The soldier stands in the center of firing range, with twin colts in his holsters. Forward on his left there is a line of seven German helmets, the same on his right. With his lightning fast reflexes, and years of practice and experience, he pulls out both pistols at the same time and fires at the targets, each bullet hitting a helmet and knocking them down. With none missing, and him emptying the mags on both guns...all in a matter of a few seconds.

There was complete silence as what just happened sank in for everyone. Then the Americans cheered and some chanted "Captain Jack". The British, French, and Colonials react in surprise and some even pay the Americans as they betted that the soldier couldn't do this. The paratrooper turns to face them, twirling his guns like a cowboy, puts them back in his holsters.

He then proudly states as he tips his helmet "I still got it lads!"

Andrew slowly claps his hands and said, "Not bad. Well, for an Army doggie that is." The soldier next to him turned and gave him a look.

"That ain't just no ordinary soldier. That's the Hero of Anchorage himself. Captain Jackson Alexander Lawerence," the soldier stated. Andrew's eyes widened at the mention and then looked over the soldier again.

"The Hero of Anchorage?! That kid?! No way. He looks like he just joined the military," Andrew replied in shock. The paratrooper looked no more than 18 years old, the same age of his youngest brother, Nicholas.

"Its true. See for yourself," The soldier then pointed at a poster behind them. It was an old Soviet-American war recruiting poster with Jack on it, thus answering Andrew's question.

"Well, damn. I can't believe, though I thought he was a bit taller," Andrew said.

"What did you expect? Him to be like a giant?" Another soldier chimed in.

"The way you army boys were making such a big deal about him and his squad, I assumed he was like a tall imposing super soldier or something along those lines," Andrew replied, remembering how all he heard about how the Hero of Anchorage saved the U.S from defeat in Alaska.

'Yeah and me and my marines were just having a nice vacation in Juneau,' Andrew thought to himself. He then asked the soldier, "So, when did he come in country?

"Apparently the good Captain's working with the Gallian Militia. He's part of the same squad that liberated Vasel." The soldier replied. It was then that Andrew remembered the newspaper image.

"Holy shit, you are right. He was part of that militia squad that took Vasel. Damn, is there any place where he won't get fame and glory?" Andrew chuckled.

"With his father apparently," Another soldier joked. Andrew looked at the soldier with a raised eyebrow.

"The Secretary of State? What about him?" Andrew asked.

The soldier leaned in and whispered "Apparently the kid joined up with the US Army during the war against his dad's wishes. When our war with the Reds ended and the kid was discharged, his dad sent him here to Gallia to focus on his studies, and to try and stay out of trouble. Apparently he and his dad haven't talked since the day he ran off to enlist."

"That right. Hell, my old man couldn't wait to see me and my siblings join the marines when we came to age. Well, most of us," Andrew muttered the last part, thinking about his youngest brother.

"What did you expect? He's a Lawrence remember? Most prominent family back in the states, remember? He's got a lot bigger standards to live up to," the soldier replied.

"I guess you are right about that. But still, those were some good skills from the kid." Andrew commented.

"Why don't ya go talk to the guy? His unit is heading out tomorrow on some mission. Might as well try and talk to the guy," suggested the soldier, as he pointed to Jack who took out an M1 carbine and was back at the firing line taking target practice.

"I probably will. Besides, I want to see who our hero really is." Andrew stated as he unslung the M1A1 carbine from his shoulder and proceeded to head towards the fire line.

Jack reloads another fresh clip of ammo into the M1 Carbine and see's Andrew walking towards him and says "You're one of those guys from the 422nd right? The guys who saved my unit back at the scrapyard?"

"Yup. That's us, and that makes you a member of Squad 7, the heroes of Vasel, or do you prefer the title as the hero of Anchorage?" Andrew commented jokingly.

Jack, chuckled at that, recognizing the accent before commenting "Nice to see another American who has to wear a Gallian uniform. I'd wear it but I'd rather not paint a target on myself. And if it's all the same to you, you can just call me Jack."

"Yeah, can't blame you though I think black suits me just fine. And the names Andrew, though if on official business i'm Twenty-Eight." Andrew said, extending his hand for a handshake.

"Twenty-Eight? What's that all about?" inquired Jack as he shook Andrew's hand.

"Well, long story short, Gallians don't think my squad is worth much so instead of names we are given numbers so that if we die we will only be some statistic on a piece of paper." Andrew commented, a bit of anger in his voice.

"That seems to be a recurring theme in this country. The rich guys send the poor guys off to die first. Sadly I'm working with the poor guys," summed up Jack.

"No kidding and you got it easy. My unit is filled with people who are convicted of crimes and such." Andrew mused as he sighted his carbine on a target down range.

"You joined a penal battalion? What did you do? Punch Damon in his ugly mug?" asked Jack.

"Believe me, as much as I would love to hit that big idiot I didn't. Actually, I volunteered." Andrew said, pulling the trigger and scoring hits on his target.

"You volunteered...for a Penal Battalion?...Can't tell if that means you have a death wish or you're just plain stupid," commented Jack

"Honestly I think I am part of the latter but you know what," There was a commotion and both men looked for the source to see Felix and Cedric have an arm wrestling match while surrounded by other soldiers cheering one side on, "I don't regret it. Though,I think my wife is going to kill me when she finds out."

"Oh you're married huh?" asked Jack.

"Yeah," Andrew pulls out his wallet and takes out a picture of him and his wife, "Married for two years and still going strong, though she can be a bit over dramatic on occasion."

"A Darcsen Huh? You don't see too many kinds of people married to them around these parts," commented Jack.

"That is a blessing in the states. We can marry whoever we want and not get judged there. Wish people in Europe can think that way." Andrew said.

"That's not likely to happen in our lifetime," said Jack.

"Hey, who knows? Maybe one day, all the stubbornness will be kicked out of these people and they may finally see Darcsens as real people. Hell, I give it maybe in 20 years we might see a Darcsen run a country." Andrew commented.

"Oh I would pay to see the look on people's faces when that happens. For now, I have to take my boss's orders and hope we get out of this war alive," said Jack.

"Yeah, no kidding. Hey did you hear, the Black Prince and Red Lotus are in Gallia. God help us." Andrew noted.

"I know. My squad was brought in to try and take out the his supply bases here," explained Jack.

"Supply base? My captain and scout saw some of his troops near Aslone not to long ago." Andrew said, raising his eyebrows.

"Look, I'm a grunt. I follow orders. And I know Lelouch likes theatrics. By telling them where he is, he's practically taunting us to come get him. And besides, if Aslone's been holding up the Germans so far, it can hold out for a few more days. And besides, my Lieutenant here is the one Lelouch is after," explains Jack.

"Really? Never expected Lelouch to aim at certain individuals. Though from fighting against him, he has shown to think outside of the box I guess." Andrew stated, as he shot at more targets.

"Oh trust me, he's after my boss. But trust me when I say this, I have faith that Lieutenant Welkin Gunther is going to get me and the rest of our squad through this. He always seems to," explains Jack.

Andrew chuckles, "Well I'll take your word on that. Just be careful, his knight Lightning is something else. I fought against her a couple of times, and let's just say I am lucky to be alive."

"Yeah well, I gotta get going. My boss wants me back with the others. Says he wants to discuss something with me. See ya Andrew," said Jack, before walking off back to the barracks.

"Take care kid," Andrew called out as he saw Jake walk off, "Kid's pretty confident in his squad leader. Then again that makes two of us." Then Andrew heard a voice calling him.

"Hey bro," Andrew turned to see James running up to him.

"Nick and I found your squad. Apparently, there is a briefing happening sooner than expected. Your…. I mean our CO wants you there," James corrected himself.

"Alright, let's go. Actually, go get those two as well," Andrew said pointing towards Felix and Cedric.

"Ok, I'll meet you there," James replied before heading towards the pair.

"Might as well get them used to the squad, " Andrew said as he made his way back to the main building, "Hmmm Jack Lawrence. I get the feeling I am going to get to know the kid a lot more in this war."

"I had no idea at that time that I would get to know Jack throughout this war, from the good to the bad and even more. I never would have guessed that he would probably be one of the most important friends I will make that would help not only me but my family in the future." Andrew W. Vandegrfit.

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. If you have any question, feel free to PM me. See you soon.**


	24. Chp 22: We will meet again

Chp.22: We will meet again

 _This work was written for entertainment purposes. All characters belong to their respective owners._

"So, you all are the scary 'Gallian SS' we have been hearing about," Pueller said, as the Nameless gathered around a table in the middle of the command center. Well, command center is used loosely since this "command center" really is for the Marines since they are operating independently from the army and were given a warehouse to be their command center.

"Well, I guess it may be because of our black uniforms," Cedric noted, chuckling.

"That may be the case though I assume it's more about your combat. We picked up some transmissions describing the aftermath of some of your fights. No survivors, complete destruction, it has gotten some of the Wehrmacht soldiers on edge," Pueller stated.

"Well, that means we are doing our job then," Kurt noted a small smile on his face.

"We better be doing our job or else we get the noose," Andrew said, making a hanging sign.

"If I had a choice, I would rather take the firing squad than hanging," Felix noted. Pueller then cleared his throat.

"Moving along, we need you all to help my Marines retake the town of Foy," Pueller then pointed at a spot on the map, "The Militia's squad 7 is being sent to Tambor to locate a missing French and IVB unit that we lost contact with but for you all, the town of Foy was a town that was held by the 1st battalion of the Gallian's 12th Infantry Division but they were pushed out by some German reinforcements."

"Waffen SS?" Andrew asked to which Puelle shook his head.

"From what the survivors told me, they are a Wehrmacht unit but not like one that we have come across. These guys are a cut higher than your average Wehrmacht unit. We tried to send a company to retake the town but they were pushed back with heavy casualties. So, now it's your turn. We will be linking this engagement to Squad 7s advance to Tambor so that the Nazis don't have time to mobilize. You will be linking up with a marine raider unit that is currently scouting the area. From what they are reporting, there is only infantry in town, with a few mortars near the center. So, I would recommend you leave your tank here."

Kurt nodded and looked to Gusurg, "This would be perfect for you to work on maintenance for the tank."

"Yeah, we are running out of fuel anyway and I need to take a look at the engine and suspension," Gusurg stated.

"If you need any help, our mechanics will be able to help you," Pueller offered, earning him a small smile from Gusurg.

"I appreciate it sir but I like to do the maintenance myself," Gusurg stated.

"Suit yourself," Pueller then pointed at a location about 500 yards away from the town, "The raiders will be waiting here. Since Lieutenant Vandegrift here is now acting liaison for the Marines in the 422nd, you are given access to American weapons and supplies." This caused many in the Nameless to perk up. Normally, they have been on the short end of the supply line, even going so far as to use enemy weapons since they usually run out of ammo from their own guns. Now, they will have access to American guns, they now will have somewhat of an edge against the enemies.

"What time will this assault take place?" Kurt asked.

"Squad 7 is scheduled to head to Tambor at around 0530 tomorrow morning so you will be heading out at the same time. We need to hit the town quick. The marines will be able to hold the town, afterward, you all can head towards that secret mission of yours."

"Understood," Kurt then turned to the rest of the squad, "Ok everyone, get some rest ad some chow. Tomorrow we go to work."

As everyone broke off and left, Kurt approached Andrew and asked, "Liaison huh?"

Andrew smiled, "Hey, at least we can get some better weapons than what we usually have. Plus, this means we might actually not be looked at as expendable anymore."

* * *

 _April 22, 1935, 0530 hours_

Andrew yawned as he scratched his chin as he waited near the outskirts of the forest. Since the tank was not coming along, the squad was going to walk the way to Foy. As he was now an officer and the executive officer of the squad, he was one of the first to be awake along with Kurt, Riela, and Imca. Andrew smirked as Riela was still a bit tired and leaned her head on Kurt's shoulder who didn't seem to mind.

"Pervert," Imca muttered as she saw Andrew looking at them.

"C'mon don't tell me that she doesn't like him," Andrew replied, his voice low so that Kurt can't hear them.

"Don't care," Imca replied, causing Andrew to chuckle. He then heard footsteps and turned to see that the three new members approach them. Andrew met them last night during dinner and he had some mixed opinions on them.

The first was Shin Hyuga, No. 58. He was a mix of Japanese and Gallian, given his Asian face and dark black hair but blue eyes showing his mixed blood. He has long hair which he has tied into a ponytail and has a white cloth tied on his forehead which also has the Gallian national symbol in the middle of it. His jacket was unbuttoned to show traditional Japanese clothing underneath. What really got Andrew's attention the other night was that Shina also carried with him a sword called katana attached to his back in a way that would allow him to draw it quickly. Shin was also hard to talk to, being more Kurt and straight-forward and follows the culture of the Japanese people which has confused many in the Nameless but doesn't faze Andrew since he has interacted with a lot of Japanese in his time with the Marine Corp.

To Shin's left was the second new member, Gisele Fleming, No. 26. Like the rest of the Nameless, she had a unique take on the standard uniform. She wore a short-sleeved jack with a neck cover/hoodie that has a mix of black and red covering. There were buckle straps around the neck cover, on both her arms, around her right wrist and around her waist that connects to her black shorts with red linings on each leg. Her hair was tied into twin ponytails with two yellow hair bows. Andrew briefly talked with her last night but she really didn't talk to him, only to ask if she was allowed to handle the explosives which Andrew agreed. Andrew also noticed that she has a lighter and was playing with it last night, hinting she may be in the Nameless for something involving fire.

' _I need to ask her why she an affinity with fire,'_ Andrew thought as he looked at the last member which was causing him a bit of a headache. She wore a black skirt with red lines on both sides along with pockets on both sides. She wore a black short-sleeved jacket over a black long sleeved shirt. She had curly blond hair with silver eyes and a bow on the right side of her head. Her name is Margit Ravelli, No.33 and from what Andrew heard she was a former officer in the regular army like Kurt who was sent here and given her attitude, she doesn't think she belongs here and now she was showing again to Andrew.

"We should have woken earlier. That way, we could be there and plan out the attack on the town," Margit noted.

"That recon team has been there longer than us and has probably set their own plan. We are just there to help them," Andrew replied.

"Hmph, you Americans think you know how to fight in a war. If that was the case, where were you all back during the Great War?" Margit shot back. Andrew sighed and massaged his forehead.

"I am not going to indulge that with a response. All I know is that I am a ranking officer while you no longer not so you will follow my orders along with Kurt's orders, understood?" Andrew asked. Margit turned and muttered something.

"I couldn't hear you. What was that?" Andrew asked again. Margit turned to him and glared at him.

"Understood, sir," Margit replied, emphasizing the "sir".

"Good, now if you are hungry, there is some chow over there," Andrew said as he motioned towards a couple of pots that housed some food. Margit looked at it for a bit before walking over, followed by Gisele. Soon, more and more members arrived until finally, only two members hadn't arrived.

"Does anyone know where Cedric and one of the yanks are?" Felix asked, yawning.

"Its James and honesty I don't know," Andrew answered, checking his watch. A few minutes later, James was dragging Cedric.

"Where were you two?" Gloria asked.

"We had a drinking contest and I won," James stated. Andrew raised an eyebrow a this.

"I thought you said you would never drink," Andrew asked.

"That kind of changed last night," James replied. Cedric roused a bit and stood up straighter.

"Morning Yank, captain," Cedric said, giving a sloppy salute to both men. Kurt rubbed his forehead and Andrew sweatdropped.

"Well, looks like everyone is here now," Andrew said. Kurt sighed.

"Let's just move. Squad 7 has already left for Tambor," Kurt said and taking lead led the squad towards the town. As they made their way to the town, many members began to engage in small talk.

"So, Nicholas, how is America like? I heard you can get a lot of things in America?" Amy asked curiously.

"Well, that is true in a sense but our economy is still recovering from the war against the Soviets so stuff is still a bit expensive but it isn't that bad," Nicholas replied.

"Even America has economic troubles?" Giulio asked.

"We may be a big country but we still suffer the same problems any country suffers but its just worse since we are so big, the smallest thing can have an impact," James replied. As the squad continued to talk to each other, Andrew was walking next to Clarissa.

"So the carbine is not as powerful as the Viper so you are going to need to fire a few more rounds at the enemy," Andrew explained to Clarissa.

"Understood," Clarissa muttered. Andrew noticed this and sighed.

"So, is there any anything that can identify him?" Andrew asked. Clarissa looked at him confused.

"Something that he is wearing so that I don't shoot him by mistake?" Andrew asked.

"Well….. while he was at the hospital, I gave him a necklace with my picture in it. So, I guess that would be it," Clarissa asked. Andrew nodded.

"Well, guess that means I will have to pay attention to the neck area then," Andrew stated. Clarissa gave him a small smile at this and nodded. The group continued on their course until they finally reached the outskirts of the town of Foy.

Kurt looked through his binoculars as Andrew made his way to Kurt and reported, "We are all ready."

"There seems to be a company of enemy soldiers. They have some weird uniforms. Their tunic is not what the normal Wehrmacht units wear and their helmets seem to have camouflage covers. You recognize them?" Kurt said and handed the binoculars to Andrew. He took the binoculars and looked for himself.

"Shit, that looks like the Panzer Lehr Division," Andrew stated.

"Panzer Lehr?" Kurt asked.

"They are Rommel's premier division. They are even on par or better than Waffen SS units. This is going to be tough," Andrew stated.

"Well, we are supposed to get help from that Marine Raider unit though I don't know where they are," Kurt said. Just as he said that everyone heard some brushes being ruffled and everyone got their weapons ready and pointed at the sound.

"Hold your fire. I am friendly," A voice called out and Andrew immediately lowered his carbine. That voice was familiar to him and he then made a split second decision.

"What gives Ivan nightmares in the night?" Andrew called out, surprising the Nameless and what surprised them, even more, was that there was a response.

"The Devil Squad because we are going to send them a ticket to hell," the voice called out. The figure came out of a bush to reveal himself to be one of the marine raiders, wearing a black uniform similar to the standard marine uniform but had a bandolier across his chest and wore a eight-pointed cap similar to Andrew's but had the marine anchor eagle and globe pin in the center of the cap, though barely visible since it was black as well. He had a bandana over his face but lowered to reveal his face. He had black eyes and facial features showed he is Asian.

"Skipper?" The man asked, causing Andrew to chuckle.

"I'm not your skipper anymore, and besides seems like you took my role anyway Kurasame," Andrew said walking up to the man and hugging him. The Nameless looked on in amazement.

"Umm, twenty-eight, do you know this man?" Riela asked, nervously.

"Twenty-eight?" Kurasame asked.

"It's a long story but it looks like you seem to be the uni we are here to help huh?" Andrew asked.

"Yes," Kurasame then turned to Kurt and saluted," Captain Kurasame Susaya of the 1st Marine Raider Company, a former member of Devil squad."

"Number 7, leader of the 422nd squad 'The Nameless," Kurt introduced himself.

"Ook, well follow me. My squad was about to attack, with you all here it helps even the odds." Kurasame led the squad away. While walking, Kurt walked up to Andrew.

"So, he was part of your old squad from the war?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, though if he is here then I am assuming they are all here too," Andrew said. Sure enough, when they reached a section of the forest, Kurasame stopped to reveal to them a small camp where there were 7 marines sitting around a makeshift table loading checking their ammo or cleaning their weapons. Once the marines saw Andrew though, they stopped and immediately stood up and stood at attention while Andrew was surprised.

"Ok, how many people did my father send over to look for me?" Andrew asked jokingly, causing many of the marines to laugh. Andrew looked on and saw how the Nameless were a bit confused so Andrew took the initiative.

"So, I would like all of you to meet the crazy marines I slugged through hell during the Soviet-American War. You all already know Kurasame," Andrew motioned to Kurasame who tipped his cap, "and this crazy little lady here is his wife, Miwa Susaya."

Miwa stepped on Andrew's foot, causing him to yelp in pain and addressed the Nameless, "It's a pleasure to meet you all. I hope we can get along." Miwa was dressed in the same dark black uniform as Kurasame except she had her sleeves rolled up along with having a satchel across her chest with the red cross on it along with a red cross armband on her right arm. She had short black hair and blue eyes.

"Like I said, a crazy little lady," Miwa glared at Andrew who cleared his throat, "Moving on, this here is Kotetsu Sakamoto. He is probably one of the best snipers in the corp. He can hit a fly in the center at a thousand meters and so far I have not seen him miss a shot," Andrew said, patting Kotetsu on the shoulder.

"I use to shoot at a lot of coyotes at my family's ranch in California so I guess it's in my blood," Kotetsu stated humbly. He was dressed in the same uniform as Kurasame minus the cap, revealing he had a shaved head. He had black eyes and wears glasses due to him being nearsighted.

"No, I think it may be because of that marine training," Andrew commented with Kotetsu chuckling. Andrew then moved towards another marine who was well built. He too wore the same uniform as Kurasame but his jacket was open to reveal a white shirt. He also was the only one to have two shoulder plates with three spikes on it. He had black hair and red eyes and gave Andrew a bear hug.

"Guren…. Can't….. Breathe….." Andrew choked out.

"Oh. sorry skipper. Just been a while since we all last saw you," Guren apologized then getting hit in the side.

"Guren, how many times do I have to tell you to go easy on the hugs," A female marine wearing a mobile radio on her back said as she appeared and gave a gentler hug to Andrew, "It's good to see you, sir."

"Yeah, same here Sayo," Andrew replied then turning to the Nameless, "This here is the second lovely couple of Guren and Sayo Hasegawa, Guren is our heavy weapons expert while Sayo is our radio woman."

"Nice to meet you all," Guren replied.

"Thank you for looking out for our skipper. I hope he hasn't caused you all any trouble," Sayo said.

"Hey, what does that mean?" Andrew asked. Sayo and Guren raised an eyebrow and Andrew backed off.

"Ok, ok I get it," Andrew said. He then moved to the last trio of his former team. All of them were wearing the black marine raider uniform but each were dressed differently. One of them was wearing a beanie, 6'5 making him the tallest member of the team, he was very muscular given how it looked like he was the gunner for the M1919 machine gun he was holding and had a scar on the left side of his face. His blue eyes looked at Andrew and he had a small smile on his face.

"Good to see you again sir," The marine said as Andrew approached and shook his hand.

"You too Joseph. Hope you haven't gotten into any trouble since I left?" Andrew asked.

"You know me, sir. I can't pass up a good fight," Joseph replied, causing Andrew to chuckle.

"I am not surprised," Andrew then turned to the other two, "Leon, Cloud, good to see you both are keeping him in check like I said." Both men chuckled at that.

"Easier said than done sir," Cloud replied. Cloud had blonde spiky hair that seemed to defy gravity and oddly enough, he had a huge sword over his shoulder which caused many in the Nameless to raise their eyebrows, especially Imca. Meanwhile, Leon had a broadsword around his hip with a Johnson rifle over his shoulders, the rifle that could have replaced the M1 Garand for the Marine Corp but due to having a tendency to jam and not being in supply, it was only issued to special units.

"Sir looks like you lost weight," Leon commented.

"You still have that same sarcastic tone of yours," Andrew quipped causing Leon to smirk.

"Anyway, these trio are my squad's trouble team: Corporal Joseph Capelli, Sergeant Squall 'Leon' Lionheart, and Sergeant Cloud Strife," Andrew introduced.

"Squall?" Amy asked. Leon held up a hand.

"I prefer Leon please," Leon replied, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Now, looks like we are missing two other people. I was wondering why I haven't heard a certain Australian around," Andrew asked. His old squad looked sad at the mention.

"Nick left after the war. He started his own mercenary group while our other member…. You know how she looked up to you. After the court-martial and you left for Europe, she protested the court-martial and was eventually dishonorably discharged after she punched a colonel for calling you a disgrace to the corp," Kurasame replied.

Andrew bit his lip and looked at the ground, "Did you all…."

"We protested it. We told the court he had it coming but the damage was done," Sayo replied. Andrew sighed.

"Damnit…. Anyway, we need to complete this mission. We can catch up later," Andrew then turned to Kurt, "The floor is yours."

Kurt nodded and stepped forward, "We need to eliminate this garrison and take the town to secure a defensive line here in the south."

"That is correct. We have been scouting the town for a while and there is a slight change of plans," Kurasame then pulled out a map and gathering everyone around him as he opened it to reveal marked locations, "We were able to steal this from a German officer in town and it looks like there are about 2 companies of infantry supported by 5 halftracks."

"Halftracks? I thought it was mainly infantry here," Valerie asked.

"That was true until about 0400 when a Waffen SS unit came by and after what looked like an argument, 5 halftracks peeled off and stayed while the rest left," Kurasame answered.

"So we have about 200 infantry supported by 5 halftracks, do we know what the armament that the halftracks have?" Andrew asked.

"From what we saw, it was only machine guns. They do have 3 mortars in the center of town as support and machine gun positions around the town but we don't know for sure. Also, it is only about 80 soldiers. It seems like these companies are under strength from fighting and are resting here."

"From the looks of things, there are only a few buildings standing. There is an open field from here to the nearest building. How are we even going to make it across without them noticing?" Margit asked, perplexed at how this was going to work.

"We have that figured out," Kurasame pointed to a warehouse, "The Krauts are using that as their ammo depot. We have already set some explosives set. Once we begin the attack, we will blow up the ammo depot and we also have some support waiting for our signal. We should cause enough chaos to make them think that there are more than just twenty odd people attacking them so they would be forced to fall back." Kurasame stated.

"How do you know that they will retreat? The Germans aren't known to fall back too easily," Margit replied in a matter of fact tone, something Andrew picked up from the new member.

"This worked back in Alaska and we have done this before here in Gallia. The Krauts don't like suffering huge losses and once they make the assumption that they are outnumbered then they will fall back," Kurasame stated, getting a bit annoyed by someone questioning his plans.

"Alright, this plans sound good. I will have my squad attack from the south here," Kurt pointed at the map, " I assume you guys will attack from the west since that is where the warehouse is."

Kurasame nodded, "Correct, once that depot gets blown sky high, start your attack," Kurasame then handed Andrew a piece of paper, "If you guys get pinned, get on the radio and tune in to channel 9681."

Andrew unfolded the paper and after looking at it smiled, "You just keep having surprises don't you?"

Kurasame smiled back, "I learned from the best. Okay, let's get this party started."

* * *

The sun was slowly rising as the German forces in Foy were slowly getting up. One soldier, in particular, stepped out of the house his squad was using and stretched. He was still tired after being woken up earlier today thanks to a Waffen SS unit coming through town. The town commander had resupplied them but insisted that the half-tracks stay since he feared that the Gallians may counter-attack soon. Initially, the SS who had a Darcsen as the commander which was weird, refused by after some bantering and arguing, the half-tracks stayed and now were parked in a semi-circle to be ready to use.

The soldier yawned and was still stretching when a voice called out to him, "You are up early Peter."

Peter turned to see his platoon sergeant, "Ah Sergeant, I have to be up early to be a model for the soldiers. Actually, do you mind waking them up for morning roll call?"

"Of course sir," the sergeant replied and went inside the house. Soon his voice was heard waking up his platoon. Peter sighed and scratched his head. Ever since he escaped from that hospital, he was picked up by elements of the Panzer Lehr division and since then was given the rank of Oberleutnant and was in charge of the platoon. They lost most of their company along with the other company when they attack Foy and were understrength. Soon, he heard footsteps as he turned to see his soldiers walk out of the house, dressed up but some wore their helmets while others chose to wear their garrison caps.

"Ok, we are going to get some breakfast from the church and then we are heading out for patrol. Understood?" Peter stated.

"Jawohl, Oberleutnant!" His men and women replied. Peter nodded and then the platoon began to walk to the church. As they approached the church, Peter saw that others have already awoken and are eating already while others were on guard duty, scanning the open terrain between the town and forest.

"When do you think that the blue shirts will attack?" His platoon sergeant asked as they got in line for breakfast.

"I don't know. However, I am more worried about that foreign unit in the area. The blue shirts may be pushovers but not the British, French, Russians or even the Americans," Peter stated. The sergeant scoffed.

"Come on, the Americans can't stand up to us. They have only fought against the Russians and barely won. They wouldn't be able to hold us back," The sergeant replied.

"I am not so sure about that…." Peter sid but before he can finish a huge explosion shook the town. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked to see that their ammo depot had just exploded.

"What the hell was that?!" Peter exclaimed then he heard something that he feared for a while.

"Enemy soldiers coming from the forest!" Some yelled. Peter looked over and sure enough, saw some twenty soldiers dressed in black coming out of the forest rushing towards the town while he can see a couple machine guns in the forest providing cover fire for them to advance.

"Sergeant, go make sure that the halftracks get into position to confront the threat. And make sure the mortars are also firing on those bastards," Peter ordered. His sergeant nodded and went to make sure it happened. Soon enough, the halftracks began to roll into position to confront the threat. However, as they were getting into position, a rocket appeared out of nowhere and hit one of the halftracks on the side, causing the halftrack to explode and be engulfed in flames. Peter turned to see another group already was in the town and engaging the Germans.

"Where the hell did they come from?!" Peter exclaimed as he got into cover to avoid the hail of bullets. Another soldier got into cover with him and Peter noticed it was the company sergeant major.

"The Hauptmann and executive officer is dead. A sniper got him. You are now the highest ranking officer left," He told Peter.

"Damn It," Peter began to think just as the sniper shot another soldier nearby in the head just as he was getting a grenade ready. The grenade was dropped and a few seconds later exploded, hitting the corpse with shrapnel.

"Ok, take a 2 half-tracks and engage the enemy in the field. I will take the other two and engage the enemy force in town. There can't be a lot of them so we will cut them off from each other and destroy them."

* * *

"Guy's take cover!" Andrew heard Serge yell as he turned to see two of the halftracks come towards them, opening fire on them. Andrew the rest of the Nameless hit the ground as bullets flew over his head and hitting the ground near him. Kurt crawled towards Andrew and said, "We need to take out those halftracks or else we will stay pinned."

"I know, I may have that solution," Andrew then looks towards Alfons and yelled, "Alfons, get over here! I need to use that radio." Alfons then crawled towards the pair and once he was close enough, Andrew grabbed the receiver and adjusted the knobs to find the right channel as Alfons fired his M1 Garand at the Germans.

"You have a plan?" Kurt asked as a bullet whizzed over his head and he returned fire with his B.A.R.

"You can thank the corp for this later," Andrew said as he finally got a signal and began to reply by reading the piece of paper he got from Kurasame, "This is the 422nd battalion of the Gallian Special Forces, we need fire on grid 982355 elevation 50. Concentrated barrage, H.E. Fire for effect over." Deep in the forest behind them, in a place where the Nameless didn't see, lying in wait was a battery of 5 M116 75mm howitzers. These were used by the Marine Corp and the airborne as a sort of mobile artillery in case the heavy artillery can't make it. And the Devil's brigade had a company of them. The radioman of the artillery jotted down the coordinates that Andrew was saying and replied, "Concentrated barrage, H.E firing for effect."

The radioman tore off the paper and ran towards the artillery officer and said, "Fire mission sir." The officer took the paper and looking it through told his men, "Grid 982355 elevation 60. Load H.E!" The crews began to work, the loader picking up an H.E round and loaded it into the breach, then locked the breach to secure the round. The gunner began to elevate the gun up towards 60. The commander of the gun looked through the sight and confirmed that the elevation was 60. Once all guns were at elevation 60, the gunner grabbed the string that acted as the trigger and waited for the order to fire.

"FIRE!" The officer yelled and with a hard yank from the gunners, all five guns fired almost in unison. The rounds soared through the air and back at Foy Andrew can hear the whistling of the rounds as the first five rounds hit the town. Thanks to the townspeople fleeing before the krauts arrived into the town, there was no need to fear for civilian casualties. Three rounds killed a good amount of Germans while the other two landed close to German positions but didn't kill anyone.

"Okay, there is our cover. I suggest we move up before I call it off," Andrew told Kurt who nodded.

"Everyone, advance!" Kurt yelled and as one the Nameless got up and ran across the field. Kurt turned around and signaled Amy and Cedric, who were using captured MG42s to cover the squad, to advance as well. As they advanced towards the town, the artillery continued to fire, with a few rounds destroying a building that housed a machine gun emplacement. Once they reached the outskirts of the town, Andrew took Valerie, Shin, Gisele, and Annika with him to meet up with his squad. They approached a building and stacked up. Andrew peered around the edge to see a squad of Germans firing on his squad who had taken cover inside a cafe. Two halftracks was also firing on them as well keeping his old squad pinned. Andrew leaned back and looked at his group.

"Ok, Gisele you have the satchel charge ready?" Andrew asked. Gisele nodded, showing him the charge.

"Alright, Annika and Shin will cross here to the other side and from there provide cover fire while Shin and I will provide cover from here for Gisele to run and throw the satchel into the halftrack," Andrew said. Once he got nods from everyone, he took a deep breath, and got out of cover and began to fire at the Germans.

"Go now!" Andrew yelled. Annika and Shin made a beeline to the other side and once they got there they began firing at the Germans with their weapons, Annika with her M3 Grease gun and Shin's M1 Garand. As they fired on the Germans, Gisele took off and thanks to the fire, the Germans had to keep their heads down. The halftrack took notice of the increased fire and tried to turn to face the new treat but Gisele had already closed the gap in rapid speed and after pulling the trigger on the satchel, tossed it over the open top of the halftrack. Gisele ran back towards the group just as the satchel charge denoted, blowing up the halftrack as well as cooking off the ammo, sending bullets flying, hitting a few Germans. After losing the halftrack, the other half-track didn't want to take the risk in staying and began to pull out but an artillery shell hit it just as it backed up, killing it.

Andrew then signaled his group to advance, as the Germans began to fall back. They rushed forward and met up with Andrew's old squad as they got out of the building and were using the destroyed halftrack as cover.

"Just like old times huh skipper?" Guren asked as he loaded his M1919.

"Yeah, getting shot at with arty falling all over us brings back some great memories," Andrew joked as he looked to Sayo, "Get on the horn and tell those artillery boys and girls to stop firing." Sayo nodded as she got on the radio to tell them to stop shooting. Andrew peered around the edge to see that the Germans were falling back to the church but even then it looks like they were leaving. They were running past the church as they tried to escape town. Andrew then saw Kurt and the rest of the squad appear and fire on the retreating Germans, killing a few of them. A halftrack stopped and began firing on them but Gloria took out a lance and aimed at the halftrack. After lining it up, she fired at the halftrack, the lance flying through the air to hit the halftrack in the front, piercing the armor and exploding, destroying the halftrack killing everyone inside.

Andrew then got back into cover as a hail of bullets from a machine gun crew fired on them, "Jesus, these bastards are tenacious. Can't expect any less from Rommel's favorite unit."

"Well, looks like we are pushing them so it seems like they aren't that good," Capelli responded.

"That's because they don't have any tanks and are lightly armed," A bullet then hit close and the ricochet into Andrew's arm, "Oh for the love of Christ! Kotetsu, take out that fucker!" Andrew yelled. In a nearby building, Kotetsu was looking through his scope of his M1903 Springfield and located the machine gun crew. He took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger, firing at the gunner hitting him in the head. The loader then took over but that lasted only a few minutes as Kotetsu pulled the bolt to eject the empty round and pushed the bolt forward to load another round and fired again, killing the new gunner.

Andrew noticed the end of the fire and peered around, "Ok, that is taken cared of. Let's move." Andrew then ran out of cover, followed by everyone else and met up with Kurt and the rest of the squad as they reached the church. As the group surrounded the church, their weapons pointed at the door, they opened and a German came out with his hands up.

" _Nicht schießen_ ," He said but wasn't able to say anything else as Karolina aimed her Martini Henry and fired, killing the German.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Guren yelled as he approached Karolina and tried to wrestle the weapon out of her hand, though she resisted. Eventually, Guren was able to wrestle the rifle out of her hands. After this, a white flag poked out the door.

" _Nicht schießen. Wir geben auf. Bitte nicht schießen."_ A voice called out, fear clearly laced in his voice.

" _Komm jetzt raus,"_ Andrew called out. The female soldier walked out with her hands up, wearing a white helmet and a white cloth over her uniform with an armband, all of which had the red cross on them, indicating that she was a medic.

" _Sprichst du Englisch?"_ Andrew asked the medic. The medic nodded.

'Yes, I studied in England before the war," She replied.

"Ok, is there anyone armed in the church?" Kurasame asked. The medic shook her head.

"All of the weapons are discarded to the side, we are unarmed," The medic replied.

"Ok, Captain can you have your squad secure the church?" Kurt asked Kurasame.

"Of course," Kurasame said, motioning Miwa forwarded who walked up to the medic to talk to her about the patients.

"Alright, everyone go around the town and flush out any resistance. Twenty-Eight, take Eleven and Twenty-One and sweep the east of town into the forest…"

* * *

Peter huffed as he collapsed near a tree. He was breathing heavily as he grimaced from the sharp pain in his arm. He was clipped by a bullet as he was ordering his surviving company out of town. He didn't expect artillery to fall on the city. His mortars are gone along with the halftracks, he couldn't hold the town. He ordered anyone that was still alive to retreat. He made sure that the wounded were unarmed so that they won't get mistaken as armed enemies and left the church. He barely managed out of the forest as he began to get overcome from exhaustion and from the adrenaline wearing off.

"Who the hell are these people? There is no way that these are Gallians. Could they have been Americans?" Peter muttered to himself as he finally caught his breath and got up. But before he can go, he heard three clicks behind him. He stopped, knowing full well who might be behind him.

" _Dreh dich um,"_ A voice behind him said. Peter was surprised to hear German. Peter turned to see three men wearing black uniforms, similar to the SS but completely different design. They also were carrying weapons that Peter recognized as American except for one in which he has never seen before.

"I can speak English," Peter replied catching the three men off guard.

"Ok, that makes things easier. Drop your weapon and keep your hands up," The man with the strange rifle said. Peter dropped his MP40 and kept his hand raised. The man motioned the man on his left who was a bit fat to check Peter. He shouldered his weapon and began to check Peter for anything else. During the inspection, the man who Peter figured as the leader of the trio looked at Peter suspiciously. The man searching Peter pulled out a pocket knife and threw it to the ground and after searching a few more minutes, pulled out Peter's wallet. He handed it to the leader and after opening it, his eyes widened. Peter was confused at this and the leader looked at Peter with a surprised looked.

"Unbutton the top buttons of your uniform," the leader stated. Peter was confused but complied. As he did, it revealed to them the necklace that Clarissa has given Peter back when he was in the hospital. The leader saw that and looked at Peter.

"So you are him…" The leader said, leading Peter to make the assumption that this man may know Clarissa.

"Do you know Clarissa?" Peter asked, which surprised the two other members.

"Eleven, Twenty-One, keep him here. I will be back," The leader said as he left.

"Wait, is she ok?! What happened to her?!" Peter called out but was held back by the two men and was forced to sit down.

' _Clarissa, are you safe? Are you ok? Clarissa….'_ Peter thought as he began to fear for the worst.

* * *

Clarissa sighed as she wiped her forehead from the sweat caused by treating a German with a gunshot wound to the leg.

"There that should stop the bleeding for now," Clarissa told the medic she was helping.

"Thank you. I appreciate the help," the medic replied, giving Clarissa a small smile.

"No problem," Clarissa said as she got up and stretched.

' _The battle is over. It was a difficult fight but we pulled through. But the true battle for a medic begins now,'_ Clarissa looked around seeing the wounded German soldiers, ' _We have to do all we can to help the wounded.'_

"Ok, now I have to go check up on Thirteen. I hope she didn't suffer any more wounds than she usually suffers." Clarissa walked out of the church but was confronted by Andrew who was breathing heavily.

"Clarissa, we have a wounded soldier. You need to come with me now," Andrew stated.

"Of course. Let's go," Clarissa stated. Andrew nodded and led Clarissa to the location. They reached the forest and were walking a bit before they met Felix and Alfons.

"Is he still here?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah, we had him sit back there. He hasn't moved for a while," Felix reported.

"Ok," Andrew then turned to Clarissa, "The wounded man is over there. We will stay here while you treat him."

"Huh? Why are you not coming?" Clarissa asked suspiciously. Andrew didn't say anything as he motioned Felix and Alfons to step aside. They stepped aside to Clarissa walkthrough. Clarissa walked past them hesitantly, confused as to what was going on. She didn't have to walk far as she approached a wounded German soldier, his head hung low and holding his right.

"A German? Why?" Clarissa muttered. The German looked up and his eyes widened.

"Clarissa? Is that you?" The German asked Clarissa then looked and her eyes widened as she saw the necklace around his neck.

"That necklace… Peter!" Clarissa exclaimed.

"Clarissa it's me, Peter! Oh, thank God you are safe," Peter sighed. Clarissa approached him and kneeled in front of him.

"Didn't you return to Germania?" Clarissa asked.

"I was but I couldn't return by myself. How could I return to my country while my own countrymen are fighting you and your own country," Peter stated. Clarissa had to hold in the tightening in her chest and reached in her medic pack.

"Please stop talking. I'm going to treat you now!" Clarissa stated as she began to work on the wound on Peter's arm. As she began to work on the wound, there was a silence between the two until Peter broke it.

"That man saw my necklace and went off to get you…" Peter started but Clarissa cut him off.

"Don't move so much. It's good the wound isn't deep," Clarissa explained as she began to pull out the bullet fragment. Peter gritted his teeth but Clarissa finally pulled the fragment out and dropped it to the ground.

"Thank you," Peter said as Clarissa began to stitch him. Peter gulped and said the thing that has been on his mind, "Clarissa, let's run away." Clarissa stopped for a bit but continued.

"The wound will reopen. Please stop talking," Clarissa replied, doing her best to hold her emotions in.

"Clarissa, its fate that let us meet again on the battlefield, the two of us should….." Again Clarissa cut him off.

"Please, please stop talking!" Clarissa shouted, loud enough that Felix, Alfons, and Andrew who were a few feet away flinched at the shout.

"Clarissa why?" Peter asked, confused and sad that she wasn't agreeing with his idea.

"If we run, we won't be happy," Clarissa took a deep breath before continuing, "It doesn't matter to me. No matter how hard it is, it doesn't matter to me. But right now, you want to run away with a Gallian woman. What kind of person would wish us happiness? A Gallian woman in love with a Germanian man."

"Clarissa…" Peter started but couldn't say anything because what she says is true. No matter where they go, they will be judged on where Peter is from and no one will be happy for them. At least, right now.

"When this war is over, we will see each other again," Clarissa looked into Peter 's eyes as she reached and held Peter's hand in a death grip, "I believe at that time, you'll definitely come back for me. So we'll have to go our separate ways here.

(Cue OST Operation Chromite: Ending music YT watch?v=4OGvHSyn0uM .)

"You've become stronger Clarissa," Peter commented as Clarissa helped him up.

"You are going to need to get more treatment. When you return to your squad, have a doctor properly look you over," Clarissa stated.

"Ok," Peter replied. Clarissa nodded and then turned away from him.

"Please go," Clarissa said. Clarissa was surprised as she was turned and was greeted by Peter's lips as he gave her a loving kiss. Clarissa then closed her eyes and indulged in the kiss for a while until they broke apart.

"I will come back for you," Peter promised. Clarissa gave him a loving smile.

"I'll wait for you," Clarissa replied lovingly as Peter let her go and began to leave. He turned one last time to look at her before running off. After he was gone, all the emotions that she bottled up finally spilled. She collapsed on her knees and tears began to fall freely as she gripped her heart from the pain of seeing him leave again.

"Aa….waahhhhhhhh!" Clarissa sobbed as she had to let the man she loved go. She continued to sob and cry as she heard footsteps approach her from behind her and stop. Through her tears, she turned to see Andrew kneeling close to her.

"You did good Clarissa," Andrew said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Clarissa continued to cry as she reached up and pulled Andrew and cried on his shoulder.

"Andrew, I really wanted to run with him at that moment, but…" Clarissa choked but continued to cry. Andrew didn't say anything as he held her. After a few minutes, Clarissa has calmed down to sniffles.

"You have to be strong. You have chosen to walk this path right? So you are going to have to be strong," Andrew told her. Clarissa was quiet for a bit before letting Andrew go and nodded.

"Yes," Clarissa answered.

"We all want this damn war to end, so let's do our best in battle alright?' Andrew asked.

"Yes!" Clarissa answered strongly, "I will continue to fight! Until peace comes to this nation!" Andrew smiled and nodded. They both got up and walked back to town with Felix and Alfons, who have heard everything and agreed not to say anything to anyone. Once back in town, Andrew began to walk away from them and sat done on an idle crate. He then pulled out the star-shaped lucky charm just as Peter and Nicholas began to approach him.

"Hey bro, where have you been? We were looking for you?" Nicholas called out as they approached.

"Yeah, your old squad wants…" James stopped as they reached Andrew. Nicholas was confused why James stopped mid-sentence and when he caught up knew why. They saw their older brother holding his lucky charm that he got with Charlotte on their honeymoon in one hand with the other over his mouth and his eyes closed as he was crying and shaking. James approached his older brother and placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze as Nicholas also did the same. Both brothers knew that it has been a long time since Andrew has seen Charlotte so it would eventually take a toll on their older brother. But the brothers just gathered there in silence as Andrew cried, offering him support and comfort as best they could.

(Soundtrack ends)

* * *

"Thank you for helping us," Kurasame said to Kurt as the two shook hands.

"Not at all, will you and your marines be enough to hold the town?" Kurt asked.

"We have some Army and French soldiers on their way to hold the town with us. Don't worry about us. Good luck on your secret mission," Kurasame replied, referring to their mission that Kurt could not tell Kurasame.

"Thank you. I wish you luck," Kurt said. Kurasame smiled.

"Thanks but in our line of work, there is no such thing as luck," Kurasame replied. Kurt nodded and turned to the Nameless who were waiting for him.

"Alright, let's go. Gusurg should be meeting us at the rendezvous point soon," Kurt ordered. As the Nameless began to move out, Andrew approached Kurasame and handed him a letter.

"Can you make sure that Charlotte gets this?" Andrew asked Kurasame. Kurasame took the letter and nodded.

"I'll make sure she gets it, skipper," Kurasame said

"Also, I want you to try and find her. If we are going to get involved, I want to have one of my best officers with us," Andrew told Kurasame.

"We will try sir. We will," Kurasame then saluted Andrew along with the rest of Andrew's old squad, "Good luck sir."

Andrew saluted and replied, "You all as well. Semper Fi Marines." He then turned and joined his new squad on their mission. As he left, Miwa approached Kurasame and squeezed his arm.

"You should have told him that Charlotte is currently in Gallia," Miwa told Kurasame.

"And give him more things to worry about? No, it's best that he doesn't know for now," Kurasame stated.

"He deserved to know at least Kurasame. I mean, it's just not right that he doesn't know," Sayo exclaimed.

"I agree with them. We should have told him," Guren stated with Capelli nodding in agreement.

"Not much we can do now," Kotetsu said then asked Kurasame, "So you going to give her the letter?"

"Yeah, I know which airfield she is stationed at," Kurasame pocketed the letter, "Right now though we need to make sure the Krauts don't retake this town so set some defenses until our relief comes."

 _Nicht schießen= Don't shoot_

 _Nicht schießen. Wir geben auf. Bitte nicht schießen= Don't shoot. We give up. Do not shoot please._

 _Komm jetzt raus= Come out now_

 _Sprichst du Englisch= Do you speak English?_

 _Dreh dich um= Turn around._

 ** _Thanks for reading and if you have any questions, feel free to PM or leave a review, it would be greatly appreciated. See you all later._**


	25. Chp 23: Forgiveness and relief

**Note: Valkyria Chronicles is owned by Sega so they are the owners of the series. Any characters used belong to their creators and a special shout out to Heinkelboy05 for helping me with a part of this chapter.**

Chapter 23: Forgiveness and Relief

April 23, 1935 1700 hours

"Oh c'mon, Anya. It's going to be fine," Charlotte said as she dragged the girl with her to Mara's office.

"Charlotte, I don't know. I mean, they could get mad at us," Anya fretted nervously.

"Cmon, you get yelled at by the both of them all the time. Besides, I know you don't want to see them like this either. It's affecting unit morale," Charlotte replied. Ever since the argument in the hangar, their attitude towards each other has affected morale amongst the pilots. Also with Charlotte finally finding out about Mara and Jake's little situation, she wanted to get them together. Of course Luca didn't want to get involved and Pedro agreed to help with a fee, it was now Charlotte and Anya to carry out Charlotte's plan.

"Ok, so you already told Jake right?" Charlotte asked Anya as they approached Mara's office.

"Yeah, he will be there," Anya replied.

"Ok, well here goes nothing then." Charlotte said, taking a deep breath, and knocked on the door to Mara's office twice. After a few seconds, Mara responded.

"Come in," Charlotte opened the door and was a bit awed by the office. This was the first time that she has ever entered Mara's office and what she saw amazed her. On each side of the office was a bookshelf filled with books. There was a window in the back of the office with the Gallian flag on the left side of the window. Mara's desk was in the middle with a tray on one side of the desk, most likely for paperwork and the other side had a model of a P-40 on a stand. Mara was reading a piece of paper, most likely a report and she looked up to see Charlotte and Anya walk up to her desk.

"Can I help you two?" Mara asked.

"Well, ma'am," Anya gulped then continued, "We would like to treat you out to dinner tonight ma'am." This caught Mara off guard as she was surprised to hear this from Anya, of all people.

"Anya, did you lose a bet? Not to be rude, but this is not like you," Mara responded.

"Well, that is why I am here," Charlotte chimed in, "Because she was really nervous to ask you so I came along."

Mara raised an eyebrow, "Ok, well I am flattered. What time will the dinner be and where?"

"Around 1800 hours ma'am and well we wanted to have this dinner in the hangar," Charlotte responded.

"Very well. I will be there. Is there anything else you both would like to tell me?" Mara asked.

"No ma'am," Both of them answered.

"Very well, then you both are dismissed. I still have some work to do," Mara stated. Both of them saluted, turned around and walked out of her office. Once they walked a distance away from Mara's office, Charlotte broke into a smile.

"Ok, now we need to get everything in place for these two," Charlotte said.

"I still don't like this," Anya said, worried.

"Relax, this is going to work. Now c'mon, we need to get this dinner ready."

* * *

Mara walked towards the hanagar as 1800 struck on her watch. Mara stretched a bit to loosen up some muscles that have been bothering her since this afternoon. Ever since she became the squadron commander, she noticed that she has been doing more paperwork than flying lately with her squadron being sidelined and instead inexperienced squadrons were pushed for the attack.

Mara of course scoffed. The reason they are being sidelined is because High Command doesn't want a Darcsen squadron to make the headlines.

"Glory hound bastards," Mara muttered as she entered the hangar. Once she was inside, her eyes focused on the table in the middle of the hangar, which had a couple of plates with spaghetti on them and glasses with a bottle of wine in a bucket. It looked like a romantic dinner which confused Mara until she saw who was sitting at the table. At the table was Jake, who was surprised to see Mara here.

"What are you doing here?" Mara asked, anger laced in her voice.

"I was invited here by Anya and Charlotte. They wanted to treat me to dinner. What are you doing here?" Jake asked.

"I was invited by them too…" Mara then stopped, realizing what those two did. She turned to the door just to hear it being locked and Charlotte calling out to them.

'Until you two can kiss and makeup, you are going to be locked in there. And don't think about the hangar doors, we locked them as well." Mara sighed and massaged her forehead.

"That woman…" Mara muttered.

"Well, since we are here, might as well enjoy the food they set up for us," Jake said, emphasizing the table. Mara bit her lip, and hesitated.

Jake sighed, "Look Mara, I'm sorry about what I said before. It wasn't right to compare you to him." Mara looked at him in surprise but then begins to giggle which turns into laughter.

"W-What are you laughing about?! This is serious," Jake said, surprised that Mara was laughing.

"I'm sorry. It's just that you were always the one to apologize when I usually am the one that starts the arguments," Mara replied. Jake shook his head and then chuckled.

"Yeah, maybe because I hate it when we fight," Jake replied. Mara took a seat in front of him and poured herself a glass of wine and took a sip.

"Yeah same here," Mara replied. Both of them looked each other in the eye and then looked away blushing.

"W-Well, um… let's eat. Don't want to let this food go to waste," Jake suggested.

"Yeah, I agree," Mara replied. The two began to eat and for the first few minutes, they ate in silence, having no clue what to say. As they were finishing up, Jack remembered something.

"Hey, you know this reminds me of that day back in 1914," Jake said.

"What are you talking about?" Mara asked as she finished up her spaghetti.

"The day you made ace in a day back then," Jake replied. When a pilot shoots down five planes, they become an ace. However, there are those who will shoot five planes in one day, earning the title of "Ace in a day".

"How does us having dinner together remind you of that day?" Mara asked.

"Well, we had spaghetti back then and instead of wine, we had whiskey," Jake replied.

"Well….. You do have a point there," Mara replied.

"Yeah. You do remember that day right? I mean, it was pretty big when it happened," Jake said.

"Yeah, I remember it like it was yesterday."

* * *

 _Autumn 1914_

 _As the conflict known as the Great War reaches a stalemate, both sides dig into their trench systems and prepare for a long war of attrition. High above the skies of Gallia, four Gallian Bristol F.2's flew across the clouds, looking for any sign of any German movement. The pilots included veteran pilots Sasha and Baker, along with Jake and the first Darcsen pilot of the GRAC, Mara Sov._

 _"Anyone see any Germans?" asked Sasha._

 _"Nope. All I see are clouds and blue sky," replied Baker in the radio._

 _"I guess they heard us and decided not to fly today," Jake joked on the radio._

 _"Keep your eyes peeled. The German army ain't moving anytime soon, but their Air Force is still able to pound our towns to dust," said Baker._

 _Mara looked around until she noticed some specks in the distance._

 _"Hey, I think I see something to the east. Looks like its coming from the German line," Mara reported._

 _"Let's get a closer look. Everyone, form up behind me and stick to the clouds. Let's not give ourselves away," said Baker._

 _The fours planes turned one after the other and headed towards the speck in the horizon. Using the clouds for cover, they soon found themselves behind a trio of Gotha bombers, escorted by half a dozen Fokker fighters. And given the course they were on, they were heading towards the city of Mellvere._

 _"Those bombers can do a lot of damage if we let them get away. We should attack them," Jake suggested._

 _"Agreed. We'll go after the fighters. Darkie, you're taking out the bombers," said Baker._

 _"Got it," Mara replied._

 _"Alright kid, here's a tip on how to take down bombers. You're faster than they are, and more maneuverable too, so use that to your advantage. But don't stay in one place for too long, or their gunners will tear you apart. Always keep moving," explained Baker._

" _Yes sir," Mara replied, absorbing the information._

 _"Alright, let's split up. Sasha, Jake, you're with me. We'll draw away the fighters. Once they're clear, Darkie here will strike the bombers. Let's move," ordered Baker and he and the others moved into position._

" _I wished they would use a different nickname for me sometimes," Mara muttered as she maneuvered her fighter in position._

 _As the German fighters and bombers continued moving towards their destination, Baker, Sasha, and Jake flew at them, firing burst from their gun, purposely missing in order to break up the squadron. After diving and then breaking off, the German bombers and fighters separated, with the fighters soon flying away from the bombers to chase the Gallian pilots, leaving the bombers undefended._

 _Mara guided her plane behind one of the bombers and not giving the gunner a chance, fired a burst into the bomber, hitting the tail and parts of the wing and engine, causing the engine to burst into flames and the bomber began to tilt to the left and tumble to the ground._

 _But now alerted to her presence, the gunners of the other two planes, opened fore on her with their mounted machine guns, causing Mara to begin maneuvering in order to avoid their fire._

 _She maneuvered her plane onto another bomber and fired a quick burst. It hit the wing but it wasn't enough to shoot it down. The gunner fired another burst at Mara, almost hitting her head. Mara realigned her plane and then fired another burst, this time killing the gunner and hitting one of the engines, causing it to smoke. Firing another burst, hitting the same engine, it caused it to explode, destroying the wing and causing the plane to spiral as it plummeted to the ground._

 _She then focused on the last bomber, who was pushing its engine to the max to try and get away from the threat. While it's gunners were firing away with everything they had in order to take her out._

 _Mara dodged the fire and looked down the gun sights. "C'mon, c'mon," Mara muttered as she aligned her gun sight onto the bomber. Once she got a good shot, she fired. The spray went and hit the pilot of the bomber, causing the plane to take a dive towards the ground._

 _With the bombers done with, Mara prepared to turn back and head on home, but suddenly, tracers flew by her head, coming from the rear, with a few hitting her wood and canvas fuselage. Looking behind her, she sees two German Fokker fighters behind her, firing away with their machine guns. These two must have slipped away from the others to try and return and protect the bombers._

 _"This is Red Four, I have two one me. Could really use some help," Mara said over the radio as she made a hard right to get away from the incoming fire. She got no response over the radio as the Germans closed in on her. Either her comrades were still busy trying to take out the other German fighters of they had been killed. Either way, she was on her on her own here._

 _Mara made a left while lowering her speed to let the German fighters to overshoot her. She soon decided to try a trick she had been working on, to see if it would work on the German's. Pulling the stick back hard, she did a loop, flying back over the German's heads before leveling out behind them, where she fired a series of bursts, taking out both fighters as they fell down to the ground in flames._

 _"Well, that worked a lot better than I thought it would," Mara said to herself._

 _It was then that the other three fighters in her flight appeared._

 _"Well Darkie, you just became the first Darcsen to shoot down German planes," said Baker over the radio._

 _"Not only that, Mara you just became the first Darcsen Ace in a day!" Jake chimed in, excited._

 _"Keep this up kid, and you'll go far. For now, let's head home everyone. I think Command is gonna want to hear about how our Darcsen here took out five German planes," said Baker, leading the planes back to base._

 _As the flight headed home, Mara continued to remember what happened today._

 _"I made Ace in one day. Huh, well at least those racist idiots in high command can't doubt me now," Mara said to herself._

* * *

"I still can't believe that I was able to make Ace in a Day that day," Mara said.

"Yeah, and after the cook on base cooked that delicious spaghetti for us to celebrate," Jake said, remembering the meal they had after the flight.

"Yeah, and I recall Sasha getting really close to you," Mara stated, giving Jake a glare.

"C'mon, she was drunk. Besides, I was starting to fall for you that day," Jake replied, catching Mara a bit off guard.

"Really?" Mara asked.

"Yeah, and I have not stopped since," Jake replied. The two of them looked at each other lovingly and then Jake leans towards Mara. She does the same but just as their lips were about touch, Mara hears some movement near the door. She lifts a finger up to Jake's mouth to stop him.

"Shhh," Mara whispered and winked at him. She then went over to the door, and forced it open. Out spilled Charlotte and Anya, who were leaning on the door to listen.

"Well, hello ladies," Mara said to the pair as they got up.

"Ma'am….. I see that you both are on good terms again," Charlotte replied nervoulsy.

"Yes, we have. I guess we just needed some time to work things out. Thanks for this Charlotte," Mara said with a smile.

"So, does that mean we don't get punished for locking you two in here," Charlotte asked.

"Oh, don't get ahead of yourself. I just haven't figured out the punishment for you both yet," Mara replied with a smile while Charlotte and Anya looked at her in horror.

"Why am I being punished?" Anya asked.

"Because you were also involved in this little scheme Anya," Mara replied, prompting Anya to glare at Charlotte.

"Anya, you get punished by Ben for coming back with your plan looking like swiss cheese. You are use to this," Charlotte pointed out.

"That's different," Anya replied. Mara chuckled as she observed the two bickering. She felt someone come up behind her and turned to see Jake walk up to her.

"I have to say, when Charlotte first came to the unit, I was a bit worried that she would not be liked since she is an American. But now, she is friends with Anya and Ben and with the others in the squadron," Jake noted.

"She has an aura around her that can make anyone be friendly around her. Well, with the exception of Lucas," Mara noted.

"He will come around eventually. He just needs to learn to let go of his past," Jake replied. They heard someone clearing their throat and the group turned to see Pedro waiting by the door.

"Um, is Charlotte here?" Pedro asked.

"I'm here Pedro. What do you need?" Charlotte asked.

"There is someone here to see you. An American," Pedro responded. Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

"Who?" Charlotte asked.

"He didn't say. He said he will only speak with you," Pedro said.

"Um, ok. Well, where is he?" Charlotte asked. Pedro leaned out the door and motioned the person to come forward. The person walked through the door and Charlotte recognized him immediately.

"Kurasame!" Charlotte cried as she ran and hugged the man.

"Good to see you too ma'am," Kurasame replied, returning the hug.

"What are you doing here?" Charlotte asked.

"Well, my team are here with the Devil's Brigade in the south, helping the Gallians out but I have something for you," Kurasame stated.

"For me?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes, its….. Its from your husband," Kurasame said, taking the letter out and offering it to Charlotte. Charlotte froze at that and looked at the letter in his hand. With shaking hands, she began to open the letter and she began to read it.

 _Charlotte,_

 _I hope this reaches you. Sorry for not sending any letters home, I was….kind of swept up in something but I am fine. Right now, I am with a Gallian unit and fighting against these krauts but I can't tell you which unit I am due to certain reasons. I know you are going to get upset by this but I am going to promise you something. Think of it as our little secret between us: I am going to come home to you. And once I do, we are going to have a house near my family's place in California and live our lives in peace. Remember that ok? God, I wish I was with you right now. I will send another letter soon with an update. I love you Charlotte, now and forever._

 _Love,_

 _Andrew Walker Vandegrift_

There was a silence as Charlotte finished reading the letter. To the point where Kurasame was a bit worried.

"Um, Charlotte are you-" He stopped as he saw Charlotte begin to shake and cry. Se then began to mutter something that Kurasame couldn't hear. He stepped forward to hear what she was saying.

"He's alive…. My idiot husband is alive…. That idiot," Charlotte muttered as she continued to cry. Kurasame then stepped forward and hugged Charlotte as she continued to cry. Pedro motioned Anya to leave with him, which she did so. Mara and Jake just stood there and looked on. Mara then felt something on her hand and looked down to see Jake's hand gripping her hand. Mara returned the grip as the continued to look on as Charlotte cried on Kurasame shoulder, each of them vowing to never let that happen with them.

 **Sorry I haven't been updating this story, everyone. Been busy with life and I hit a sort of writer's block but don't worry I willhopefully be updating this story more often now since playing Valkyria Chronicles 4 has given me the extra boast I need. If you all have any questions or even suggestions, feel free to PM me. See you all later.**


	26. Chp24: Old Memories

**Disclaimer: This work was written for entertainment purposes. All characters belong to their respective owners.**

Chapter 24: Old Memories

April 24 0600 hours

Unknown castle in German territory

"Ok, now this is going to be pretty difficult," Andrew said, looking over their target. Andrew was on his stomach as he looked through his binoculars at their supposed target and what he saw surprised him. The place was literally a grand castle from the medieval times but if that was it then it wouldn't be difficult. It is what the Germans did to the castle was what is worrying. The Germans have been modifying the castle over the years because the castle looked like a fortress now. The walls were reinforced with steel and on the ramparts were cannons in encased bunkers and machine gun bunkers as well. There was only one way in and out and that was a drawbridge and it looks like the controls were on the other side of the castle walls. Add on to the fact that the castle is on a solitary mountain, a dried up moat with spikes in it and an abandoned town that looks like it is patrolled by German troops, Waffen SS troops at that. Next to him, Amy, Alfons, and Riela were also observing.

"That place looks heavily defended," Alfons commented as he looked through his binoculars.

"How are we going to get inside? It doesn't look like the controls to the drawbridge are on the outside of the castle." Amy asked.

"Hmmm, there are a lot of Germans down there. That means they have to have some excess uniforms right?" Andrew asked.

"Probably. We carry extra uniforms ourselves, " Riela answered.

"Well, then I think I may have a plan. Let's head back to base camp and tell the others," Andrew said as the group snuck away and headed back to base camp.

* * *

"Ok, so one team will sneak into town and steal uniforms and a vehicle. Once we have them, we will drive right up to the castle, sneak in, and kill the the doctor," Andrew stated. Everyone listened to this plan and Giulio was the one the say what was on their minds.

"This plan is crazy,"

"Well, if you have another way to get in there then let me know because the only way in the castle is that drawbridge and the only way we can even get up there is if we have German vehicles and German uniforms," Andrew responded. Kurt looked at the map and thought about it. There was no other way to access the castle except through the drawbridge. The mountain is too steep to climb and they would most likely stand out and get gunned down by the Germans.

"Andrew has a point. That drawbridge is the only way in and out, so we need those uniforms and that vehicle. However, we are only sending a small team in while the rest of the squad will stay with the tank at the base of the mountain," Kurt ordered.

"Ok, so who is going to head into the castle?" Felix asked.

"It will be me, Riela, Imca, Andrew, James, Nicholas, Amy, Valerie and Alfons. Everyone else stay with the tank and protect from any enemy attack,"

"Imca? Won't she stand out because of you know," Cedric noted, emphasizing her hair and eyes.

"We need her firepower inside the lab in case things get messy. Plus, we will figure out a way to get her in," Kurt stated, "Does anyone else have any more questions?"

"Since we are heading into that fortress, we will mainly be using German weapons correct?" Felix asked.

"Yes, since the ammo will be more abundant than the American weapons we have." Kurt stated, "Are there anymore questions?" Kurt looked around everyone and when no one said anything continued, "Ok, we will begin the mission at 1700 hours. Take that time to prepare. Get some training, rest, anything you want to do. Just make sure to meet near the tank at 1700."

* * *

1500 Hours

Andrew was cleaning the MP40 he was going to use when he heard his little brother groan. He looked over and saw that his brother was massaging his hand, a MG42 lay in front of him disassembled.

"These Germans really make some fancy weapons. This machine is really complex," James commented, which caused Andrew to chuckle.

"Well, compared to our machine guns they are but in reality, they are pretty simple," Andrew said as he approached the MG42 and looked it over.

"The gun uses what is called a roller-locked bolt, which is the reason it fires fast. You just have to do this," Andrew tickered with it a bit before finally putting it back together, surprising his brother, "And you have a working gun. Remember to bring some extra barrels since this thing does overheat quickly."

"Got it," James replied. The both of them then heard footsteps and turned to see their younger brother, followed by Amy, Valerie, and Alfons.

"We brought the rest of the weapons we are going to be using," Nick stated as the group dropped the weapons in front of them: a couple of MP40s, a few Kar98Ks, and a STG-44.

"Well, this should be enough to convince them that we are Germans. All we need is those uniforms. Do we have enough ammo amongst us?" Andrew asked.

"Carissa says that there was plenty of German ammo back at the fort and she was abe to supply us with them though she did charge us a pretty penny," Alfons noted.

"That woman I swear," Andrew moaned as the group sat in a circle and began to clean the German weapons. Everyone was into their work until Alfons broke the silence.

"So, I have been wondering, I looked up all of your files, " Alfon said, motioning to the three Americans.

"Well, not surprised there Alfons. If I remember correctly, you use to be a private investigator before the war," Andrew noted.

"Yes, I was and I am a bit curious about something. Of course, the youngest member never served until now but Andrew and James here, you both have fought in the soviet-American War," Alfons noted.

"That's right, though I was only part of the end of the war, when we invaded Russia. Andrew is the only one to have fought from the beginning," James responded.

"I see. If I remember correctly, you were given the name 'Devil of Juneau'. I am a bit curious as to how the battle ended," Alfons asked.

"If you looked me up, then you know the official record of how the 'Siege of Juneau' ended," Andrew responded, not taking his eyes away from the MP40 he was working on.

"That may be but I would like to know the soldier's view of the battle. There is a note that you got pretty angry on the last day of fighting," Alfons asked.

"I too would like to know. Sometimes the official records don't really express the feelings of the men and women who fought there," Valerie asked. Andrew was silent for a minute, the silence was deafening that caused both Alfons and Valerie begin to fear they may have gone too far but Andrew spoke up.

"It was March 3rd, 1932. About a day after I earned the name 'Devil of Juneau'. We gave up my position and fell back to our last position in the city. I was headed towards our headquarters near the harbor and I was just….. Angry with our situation."

* * *

 _March 3, 1932_

 _Andrew was pissed. No, he was beyond pissed at the situation. He was currently riding in a jeep being driven by a Lance Corporal who had just picked him up from the old defensive position. After a day of preventing the Russians from rushing to the harbor, Andrew was ordered back to headquarters as the position was given up in favor of protecting the harbor. As the driver made his way back to headquarters, he was telling Andrew of the current situation._

" _This is our last defensive position in the city. The remnants of the 1st Marines has fallen back to the harbor. This is about it. General Vandegrift is massing all our remaining forces on this last line. The 1st Tanks are down to only 20 working Shermans and Stuarts and our air support is down to probably 8 squadrons, half of them at full strength."_

" _What the fuck is the navy doing then?" Andrew asked as the jeep took a right and passed a group of Marines and some civilians who have volunteered to help the Marines defend the city._

" _The Navy is being bogged down. Some Soviet subs are causing some trouble. We lost two destroyers already. Also the Navy is a bit more focused providing support to the army in the North." The driver responded._

" _Great, the army gets what they need while our asses get jack shit," Andrew grumbled as they passed a Stuart setting up a position with a machine gun crew setting up nearby._

" _Well, here is some good news. Admiral Halsey is bring the Enterprise, Lexington, and Hornet close to the city to provide some air support, and we still have the Chapultepec Bogue and Ranger in the harbor. And I heard the army is about 10 miles away from us. Here we are," The driver said as he turned the jeep into what was the port authority but now it was the current headquarters of the 1st Marine Division in the city. All around the headquarters, marines were running about with their tasks. Some were carrying ammo crates, while others were unboxing recently arrived cargo and putting it on trucks to send to the front. The jeep stopped in front of the main building and Andrew jumped to see Kurasame approach him and salute._

" _Kurasame," Andrew responded with his own salute._

" _Sir, Charlie company didn't make it back to the line,"Kurasame stated soberly. He was referring to the company that Andrew had stayed behind the other day to hold the Russians off as said company retreated._

" _Goddamnit," Andrew muttered. Then he felt his anger get to him as he began to storm into the building. Kurasame followed as he asked, "Where is he?"_

" _In the operations room, but skipper…" Andrew ignored what Kurasame was about to say as he stormed up the stairs, storming past marines who were smart enough to get out of the way and finally barged into the operations room. The staff marines working in the room stopped what they were doing and looked over to Andrew as he made his way to his dad who was standing by the window and looking on as engineers and sailors worked on the docked escort carrier Chapultepec._

" _Why didn't you send any support to the line?" Andrew asked his father, who didn't respond. One of the marines tried to take Andrew away but he pushed the hand aside._

" _Where are the damn reinforcements we have been hearing about? Why did you order the retreat? I am getting fucking sick and tired with all of this retreating! Where are we going go if they break through?! Cross the damn fucking harbor while they are raining bullets on us," Andrew then angrily grabbed a nearby map and pointed at the current position, "Once we reach the other side what then, throw fucking rocks at them. And after that, we just jump in the fucking sea!" His ending rant sounded more like a shout and it unnerved some marines._

" _Now see here marine…" A staff officer began to reprimand Andrew but Andrew was tired and angry. He looked at the officer and then sent a punch flying to the officer. This caused some other marines to intervene and a small scuffle begins to ensure before Vandegrift holds up a hand._

" _Leave him," he orders. The marines around Andrew let go of him with Andrew shoving the closest marine away from him. Vandegrift then turns to look at his son, who was angry but also injured judging from the bandaged wound on his neck. Vandegrift slowly took a seat and sighed._

" _I know," Vandegrift responded and then looked at his son. He can see the fire of anger and most of all sadness in his eyes, ._

" _It hurts to see your marines killed in front of you. It hurts your heart," Vandegrift then sighed, "We had to retreat because the Soviets conducted an amphibious landing and mauled the 11th Marines, eliminating most of our artillery. It was a massacre." Andrew turned to see a member of the 11th sitting with his head bandaged. She looked at Andrew with a sad look and Andrew regretted his outburst. He tipped his helmet and mouthed, 'Sorry' as his father continued._

" _Doesn't matter what i want to do, with the given situation we have no choice but to stick close to the harbor. At least then, we have enough ammo and supplies to hold them off until 1500 today," Vandegrift stated._

" _1500?" Andrew asked, a bit confused._

" _We just received a coded message from Central Command. The Canadian I Corp and the Army's 11th Airborne and the 20th Armored are going to launch a large scale assault today to break through to us. The lead elements of the Canadian 1st Parachute Regiment and their 12th Armored Regiment are due to arrive at 1500 hours," Vandegrift stated._

" _This is good news then," Andrew exclaimed._

" _Well, that was the good news," Vandegrift added. Andrew raised his eyebrows._

" _What is the bad news then?" Andrew asked._

" _The Soviets are going to launch one final major assault on our lines."_

* * *

" _So what are we just going to sit here and wait for them?" Joseph asked. Andrew shook his head as he cleaned his M1. Currently, what was left of Andrew's company, or more like his regiment, were spread out in the surrounding houses and buildings of what used to be a busy market but now was rubble. The Marines as well as a few civilian volunteers were using these buildings as a defensive line to stem the incoming red tide. In his building, he was with Sayo, Guren, and Joseph._

" _Yes, because one we don't even have enough manpower and ammo to even think about launching our own counterattack and two, why just go find them when we can just wait here and have them come to us?" Andrew argued as he assembled his rifle again and tested it to see if it would work._

" _Well, you have a point there skipper but still even then I don;t think we can last. I mean we have only three boxes of ammo for the 30," Guren noted, referring to the M1917 they had set up._

" _Then we are going to have make every shot count then," Andrew noted. He then looked over to the other building right next to them and shouted, "Do you all have enough ammo?" He was asking Kurasame, Taylor, Miwa and Kotetsu._

" _We should be fine though, I kind of wish we had some more rockets," Kurasame stated._

" _That case, make every shot count. Worse case, we will just have to use those extra mortar rounds we collected," Andrew replied. Recently, the only 60mm mortar that they had was taken out from a grenade and so they had the rounds but no tube. Thanks to Taylor, they were now able to use them thanks to arming the round from the bottom and throwing them. Andrew then looked and asked the same question to his marines as well as to the civilian volunteers._

" _They civilians don't have enough ammo amongst themselves. Many of them only have the rounds in their weapons and that is pretty much it," Guren noted from the replies._

" _We had to ration what ammo we had left. The Navy has taken a hit from supplying us and the airdrops aren't that helpful either," Sayo noted, working on the radio. It was no secret to anyone that the Navy had been trying to rush supplies into Juneau for the marines but due to the situation at Anchorage, the resupply was delayed until that battle was finished. After the battle, the Navy began to refocus on resupplying the marines but with the Soviet Pacific Fleet deploying their submarines now, the ships were having a hard time to get in. The Army Air Corp was airdropping munitions and supplies but they can carry so much so for now the defenders will have to make every bullet count._

 _Andrew was about to go check another position when Sayo called out, "Skipper, its Ragnarok on the radio." Ragnarok was Andrew's scout that he has sent out to alert him of any advancing Soviet troops. Andrew walked towards Sayo and picked up the radio._

" _Ragnarok, report," Andrew asked over the radio. What he got in response gave him chills._

" _You got the whole Soviet army heading ya way, over," Ragnarok whispered harshly. Andrew took a deep breath as his heart began to beat rapidly. He then gave his response._

" _When they are past you, fall back and link up with Baker company, over," He got a response back and hung up the radio. He looked around at the marines who were looking at him and he gave them the news._

" _Ivan is coming right at us," Andrew stated. This caused the marines to get up and get ready. Andrew went back to the machine gun and with the help of Joseph, loaded the machine gun. Soon, everyone in his sector was ready and waiting. After a few minutes, there was nothing. However, that changed when the sound of engines can be heard heading towards them. Andrew looked and he shook his head when he saw a single T-34 heading towards his line. He then signaled Sayo to come near him and she handed him the radio._

" _Everyone hold your fire until I give the word," Andrew said over the radio. He aimed with his M1 and waited as the Russians continued forward. Below him, there were two M3 37mm anti-tank guns hidden in the rubble of each of the buildings that Andrew's company was holding. One was manned by marines while the second one was mainly manned by civilians but were being supervised by marines. Everyone began to be on edge as the tank advanced forward, not seeing the marines and civilians hidden in the buildings. Andrew continued to hold fire as the Soviets advanced. He then began to see infantry along the tank and judging from their dark blue uniforms and their berets told Andrew that they were Soviet Marines._

" _Well, this is interesting. Guess they think the only way to dislodge marines are to send their own marines," Guren noted._

" _Well, then let's show them how we fight then," Andrew said. He then looked over to the other building and got Kotetsu's attention. He sent over some hand motions which Kotetsu nodded and looked over to one of the marine engineers. He nodded to the engineer and the engineer took out his device and got it ready. Per Andrew's orders, they had set up TNT along the street for when the Soviets would advance. Now that they were coming, he worked the wire to the detonator and once it was set, he took a deep breath and pulled the trigger._

 _The TNT set off on both sides of the road, killing some Soviets and wounding others. This was the signal for the machine guns to open up, firing onto any surviving Russians. The T-34 remained in place as it tried to figure out what to do. That would be a mistake. The two anti-tank guns aimed and fired onto the tank. One ricochet off the tank while the other hit the treads of the tank, immobilizing it. Then Kurasame took out one of the bazookas and fired from the top onto the tank. The rocket hit the turret and then the tank burst into flames. The Soviet infantry tried to counter attack and began to fire wildly with their submachine guns and light machine guns, killing a few marines and civilian volunteers but the incoming fire was too much and they fell back._

" _Looks like we beat Ivan back," Joseph exclaimed as he saw the Russians retreating._

" _Don't get too confident. They are just regrouping for another assault," Andrew said reloading his rifle, "Sayo, distribute the ammo to everyone in the building."_

" _Yes, sir," Sayo responded and got up, grabbed two ammo cans and left the room to resupply the people in the building._

" _How long do you think we have?" Joseph asked as he reloaded the machine gun._

" _Honestly, I don't know. But we have to be prepared," Andrew stated. Thirty minutes passed and there was no sign of the enemy. Then Andrew heard another sound of an engine. This time, it was a lot louder._

" _Well, I guess they are bringing the heavy tanks out now," Andrew commented. His comment was proven true as what was driving up the road was an Iosef Stalin 2, Russia's answer to the German Tiger and King Tiger tanks in Europe but in America, it was on another level._

" _Oh, c'mon. That is not fair," Joseph stated as he aimed his machine gun and engage the incoming Soviet troops. The defenders also engaged the Soviets but this time it was different.. The two anti-tank guns that had knocked out the T-34 could not even make a dent on the IS-2. The heavy tank turned its turret onto one of the anti-tank guns and fired a round at it. The shot utterly destroyed the gun, killing the crew and a few marines near it acting security. The turret swung towards the other anti-tank gun but the crew with this one didn't want to end up dead so they abandoned the gun just as the tank fired, destroying the gun._

" _EVERYONE WE ARE FALLING BACK NOW!" Andrew yelled as he got everyone in his building to retreat. The then motioned to the others from the other building and they two began to evacuate. Andrew was the last in his building with Miwa being the last from her building. As both exited the building, the tank turned its turret towards the two and Andrew tackled Miwa out of the way to avoid the tank round that was headed their way. The fell to the ground as the round hit the area where they just were._

" _Miwa, you ok?" Andrew asked._

" _Yeah, I'm fine," Miwa answered, though a little shaken. Both of them got up and began to fall back with the rest of the squad as the Russians continued the advance. They ran down a few blocks until they reached another line of defense. This time, it was set up in a crossroad leading to the port and was open ground. Andrew and Miwa jumped over the sandbags and met up with the squad._

" _How many are coming?" A marine manning a machine gun asked._

" _At least one heavy tank and about a company of infantry," Andrew responded. Then the sound of tank treads approaching reached his ear and he got his weapon ready._

" _Everyone get ready! Here they come!" Andrew yelled. The marines and civilians at the defense line got their weapons ready and waited. Soon, the sound of tank engines approached them and soon enough they all can hear the yell that has given chills to everyone who has heard it._

" _URA!URA!"_

 _Soon, Soviet infantry began charging towards the defensive line followed by not only one but two heavy tanks._

" _Everyone, open up," Andrew yelled. The defense line let loose with machine gun, submachine gun, and rifle fire. Soviet infantry began drop and from Andrew can see, many of them didn't even have weapons._

" _Guess intel was right. They don't even have enough weapons for themselves," Kotetsu commented as he looked through his scope for a target._

" _Yeah, though we still need to do something about those tanks or else we won't hold," Sayo replied. The two IS-2s were making progress, shooting and destroying certain gun emplacements and the bazookas that the marines had were not doing anything to take them out._

 _Just as the Soviets were getting close and were about to overrun the defense line, Andrew can hear a another rumble and began to fear the worst._

" _Fuck, they brought in more tanks," Andrew commented as that other rumbling became to get louder. Then suddenly, one of the IS-2s rear blew up in a ball of fire from a hit._

" _Where the fuck did that shot come from?" Guren asked. Andrew turned to where the shot came from and his jaw dropped as he saw a M10 tank destroyer approach them with infantry flanking them, some of them with camouflage helmets and on their uniform was a flag identifying them, the star and stripes of the U.S with the thirteen stars and stripes._

" _Well, looks like the Canadians are here," Kurasame exclaimed as the M10 turned its turret to the other IS-2 and fired, flinging the turret off the tank. The Canadian infantry and paratroopers began to spread out and kill any Russians who were crazy enough not to retreat. The Soviets, seeing as their attack has failed, began to retreat except the guards rifle division who stayed and fight. Andrew then saw in amazement a pair of Canadian paratroopers fighting the Soviets in Close Quarter Combat and the way they fought showed they were experienced. One of them would spray his submachine gun wildy, killing a group of Russians but he didn't notice one wounded Russian trying to stand up and shoot him but his partner was there to kick the soldier down and kill him with his M1917 Enfield rifle._

" _Who the hell are those two?" Guren asked, as Sayo was helping him load the last belt of the 1919._

" _Well, we are about to find out," Andrew said then looked to Kurasame, "Kura with me, the rest of you take it easy for now and let the Canadians take over." Andrew and Kurasame then leaped from the trenches and ran towards the two Canadians they were observing who was being chewed out by their CO_

" _You two do that shit again and I will make sure you both will be transferred to the logistic division," The CO stated._

" _With all due respect sir, we did clear the way for the tanks and tank destroyers sir," One of them pointed out as the Canadian M10 and M4A3 Shermans began to rumble by the chase the enemy._

" _Regardless, you will follow my orders from now on. Are we clear?" The CO stated._

" _Well, if that is them not following orders then I want them not to follow orders," Andrew commented as he approached the trio. The three looked over to see Andrew and Kurasame walking up to them. The CO noticed the gold bars on Andrew's shoulders and then saluted him._

" _Captain," The CO said. The other two also noticed this and saluted him as well._

" _I am a bit tired for formalities so as you were," Andrew replied. He then noticed another flag on the two's uniform, it was a scenery of mountains in a valley with some grain on the bottom with the red and white flag of Saint George from the British time and it was over a blue background, the state flag of Alberta._

" _So, you two are from Alberta?" Andrew asked._

" _Yes, sir." Both of them answered._

" _I visited that state when I was a kid. One hell of a place. What are your names?" Andrew asked._

" _Lance Corporal Logan Valkara sir," Logan replied. He had brown eyes and has short black hair with a bit of grey in it and a 5,0 clock shadow. His muscular body showed through his standard uniform for the Canadian Airborne and he was armed with a Thompson submachine gun and a 1911 holstered on his hip._

" _Corporal Jason Valkara sir," Jason also replied. He has blue eyes and short grey hair with a bit of black in it and a clean shave. Like his brother, he has a muscular build but was more lean. He also wore the standard uniform for the Canadian Airborne but with the camouflage on his helmet._

" _Well, you two are must love to get into the fight from what I saw," Andrew commented._

" _Though it was a bit reckless," Kurasame commented._

" _We like to get into the fight sir. Doesn't seem right to fight from a distance sir," Logan responded causing Andrew to smile._

" _Now these are some men I can use," Andrew then looked at the CO, "What are your orders in regards with helping us?"_

" _We were ordered to help relieve the city. We will take care of the rest. You all can rest," The CO replied. Andrew nodded and then looked at Kurasame who tiredly nodded. Both men turned to walk back to their lines when Andrew turned around._

" _Did you guys know where Juneau was before you all got here?" Andrew asked the trio._

" _Juneau. Yeah, we heard about you guys. You all are damn heroes," Logan replied._

" _Yeah, the newspapers talk about 'The Valiant Marines Defending Alaska's Capital'. You guys are all heroes back home," Jason responded. Andrew and Kurasame looked at each other with Kurasame smirking._

" _Well, guess the army isn't always taking the headlines," Kurasame noted._

" _Yeah," Andrew then looked back at the trio, "Well, I need to head back to my men. I think a nap is well in order. Good luck you guys."_

" _Yeah, leave it to us," Logan stated as he rushed off followed by his brother who gave them a nod. The CO sighed and rushed after the pair. Andrew and Kurasame began to walk back to their lines. They stopped to have a Sherman rumble past them with Canadian infantry on them but Kurasame noticed something._

" _That Sherman looked like it has a better gun that the 75mm. It even has a muzzle break on it," Kurasame commented._

" _Well, we have been stuck her for about three months so we have to assume that the country had to develop some new weapons for us to use against these bastards," Andrew commented. The two made it back to their line only to see that most of their squad other than Guren were sleeping._

" _Um," Kurasame asked Guren and he looked at the squad and back at Andrew and Kurasame._

" _Yeah, they are exhausted. Knocked out when we confirmed that we would be resting," Guren replied._

" _Well, can't blame them," Andrew said. He then took a seat and began to light a cigarette and began to smoke. As Kurasame lit a cigarette and offered one to Guren and looked past him to see his dad and his staff with him._

 _Alexander saw his son and began walking up to him._

" _Good job holding the line," he said to his son._

" _Yeah, well we had to fall back before that could happen," Andrew responded. His father nodded and then leaned in to whisper something in his ear._

" _I have put you up for a medal son," Andrew recoiled a bit and looked at his father in surprise, "You earned it from what I heard what you did a few days ago." His father surveyed the scene and sighed._

" _The Canadians are going to mop up any Soviet remnants so the rest of your company will move to the rear. Get some hot chow too," He told Andrew who nodded. He then began to walk away followed by his staff._

" _Kurasame, wake everyone up. We are heading to the rear," Andrew ordered._

" _Yes, sir," He then went about to wake everyone up. Andrew took a seat on a piece of rubble and took a cigarette and a lighter out. He placed the cigarette in his mouth and lite it, making a huff. As he blew smoke, he looked up in the sky to see a couple of F4F Wildcats fly by._

" _What a hell of a day," Andrew muttered as closed his eyes and took another huff._

* * *

"So if it weren't for the Canadians then you guys would be here today?" Alfons asked.

"Yeah, though they took their sweet ass time but they did arrive," Andrew replied, finally finishing up cleaning the MP40.

"You mentioned your father telling you getting a medal. What was it?" Valerie asked. Andrew was silent for awhile and then reached into his pocket and tossed it towards Valerie. She caught it and gave it a look. The medal is a five-pointed bronze star, tipped with trefoils containing a crown of laurel and oak. In the center is Minerva, personifying the United States, standing with left hand resting on fasces and right hand holding a shield blazoned with the shield from the coat of arms of the United States. She repulses Discord, represented by snakes. The medal is suspended from the flukes of an anchor and it looks like it is made of solid red brass. Valerie's eyes widened as it dawned on her what this medal is.

"Is this-" Valerie said but Andrew finished it.

"It's the Medal of Honor, the highest award one can get. And that is one of two that I got from that war," Andrew stated, walking over and taking the medal back.

"Two?" Alfon asked, curious.

"I don't want to talk about the second one," Andrew stated as he began to walk towards the exit. He then turned around and said, "Let's go. Let's get this mission over with."

 _Author's note: Sorry for the late update, college has been kicking me in the ass so future updates are going to a bit spread out. Also, shoutout to_ _SPARTAN-626_ _for his OCs in this chapter. If you all have any question about th story or want to know some backstory, feel free to PM me. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and see you guys later._


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